Consequences
by ellethEsteri
Summary: An old case is being reopened, forcing Sara to come back to Las Vegas after seven years. This time she's not coming alone…
1. Coming back

**Title**: Consequences

**Author**: ellethEsteri

**Summary**: An old case is being reopened, forcing Sara to come back to Las Vegas after seven years. This time she's not coming alone…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own them, unfortunately.

**A****/N**: Big thanks to my Beta Reader, Anaknusan *hugs and kisses*

This is my first story, all the reviews appreciated, though be gentle *lol*

**Chapter 1 – Coming back.**

She couldn't believe she was actually doing it. Just one phone call and she was dropping everything, doing exactly the same thing, as she had done 14 years ago. Well, maybe not _exactly_ the same… The situation had changed. Her life had changed. Making everything a little bit more complicated this time. Not that she minded the changes. She rather feared that the others might… she smiled weakly at her thoughts. Looking in the review mirror she caught a glimpse of a little girl, sleeping in the back seat of her car. Her long brown hair curling softly around her angelic face, a dreamy smile on her lips. No matter how different her life was now, she was heading to the place where it all started. Sara Sidle was coming back to Vegas.

~*~  
"Sara!" She was greeted by a cheerful shriek from her younger colleague as she entered the break room. Before she even manages to answer, she found herself closed in a friendly hug. She laughed into man's ear. He had changed since she last saw him. He wasn't a teenage-looking guy anymore, but a grown up, handsome man. Yet still with spiky, yellow hair.

"I missed you too, Greggo."

"How long has it been?" Catherine was next one to welcome her. The older woman's hug was somehow colder but still pleasant. In the glimpse Sara noticed a few wrinkles around red haired woman's eyes.

"Long enough…" she answered quietly, glancing in the direction of her ex-supervisor. The older man was the only one still sitting at the table. He did not get up to greet her, like the others, he just eyed her with piercing, blue eyes.

~*~  
Grissom couldn't stop staring at her. It seemed like time had no effect on her. She was still the same Sara that left Vegas, young and beautiful, with wisdom and joyful flickers in her brown eyes. He watched her laughing with Greg and talking with Catherine. And then her last words hit him, with full force and he realised… The way she said it… No, this wasn't the same Sara that left Vegas. He could feel something was different, he could read it in her eyes when she turned her head in his direction, probably hoping he won't notice such a short glance. It was not her appearance that had changed. It was something else. Something he wasn't able to name yet.

She must have finally noticed that he wasn't moving his eyes from her because she smiled. Weakly, yet still with the Sidle-smile he knew so well. And that was it. Just this one, small, tooth-gapped smile and his heart jumped. Pounding hard against his ribs, as if trying to break free from a cage. For a moment he forgot to breathe, taken by surprise from his own body. He wasn't supposed to feel this. He wasn't supposed to feel anything. After all, after Sara left, he did everything in his power to push every feeling and every emotion so deep inside his body, it could never be found again. And yet somehow this woman, …Sara…, has just awakened them, simply by smiling. Just like she did before, when she came to Vegas for the first time. At that time she encouraged him to take the risk and have a life with her. He did and in exchange she taught him how to love.

Grissom smiled back, not sure if he was smiling at Sara or at his own memories of the happy life they used to have. A happy life he gave up so easily in the end.

~*~  
One glimpse was enough for Sara to notice that time wasn't so keen on Grissom. His whole body was showing it. His shoulders bent forward as if he was carrying a heavy burden. He had more wrinkles and grey hair, and his face showed that he was burdened by more worries and troubles. And this sadness in his eyes… even after 7 years spent without him it still made her heart ache. But it all vanished when he smiled. And again she was seeing the handsome, middle-aged man she thought she knew so well. She had to admit than even after all that time he was still hot. She had to turn around to hide her blushing cheeks. Thank God Nick and Warrick were waiting for their turn to hug, and she could hide in their arms for a while.

"Good to have you back, girl." Warrick hugged her tightly, making her literally breathless, accompanied almost instantly by an impatient Nick.

"It's still strange to work without you, you know."

Sara mumbled something into Warrick's shirt, which sounded like 'sweet' and some other words no-one understood or heard as Warrick's chest muffled them. "Actually I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome." she laughed, finally being released from this double hug. Oh, it felt so good to be with them again. Till this moment she didn't even realise she missed her friends so much.

"That's because we're just teasing you before returning to normal sarcasm." Greg grinned widely.

"Can't wait for that." she answered with a laugh. Grissom raised his eyebrow. "So what do you need me for?"

**A****/N: Let me know what you think. (Yeah, I know it's short :P)**


	2. Unexpected

**A/N: **It took me a while, but here it is – the second chapter. Let me know if you like it. Enjoy. :)  
Again big thanks to Anaknusan for her great work.

**Chapter 2 – Unexpected**

"Amy Mitchell's case," Grissom answered simply, speaking for the first time since Sara entered the room. His voice was calm and strong. "Remember it?" Sara nodded and took a place at the table. The others followed.

"Young girl, raped and beaten until she lost consciousness." She slowly started to recall that case's details. She remembered them perfectly, as if the case was fresh, and she was sure she would never forget them. Sara had had a major break down over that case, so desperately wanting to catch the monster who had done this and help the girl in a coma. She almost lost herself in that case, letting emotions overwhelm her and losing her sense of judgment. "Suspect was never caught, nor were we even close. No blood, semen or fingerprints. Nothing useful," she sighed. "I was a leading CSI."

"We think he's back."

~*~  
Sara gasped, the remains of her smile completely vanished from her face. These kinds of monsters were making her angry and frustrated, especially when they were leaving no useful evidences allowing the team to catch them. She looked around, searching for the deeper explanation in her colleagues eyes.

"Day shift had a case, few weeks ago," Catherine started, handing the younger woman some files. Sara skimmed them briefly, still listening to Catherine. Images of Amy's unconscious body appeared in her head. There were almost no places on her body that weren't deeply bruised or cut and the body in the pictures she was now holding was almost identical. "White female, blonde, raped and brutally beaten with an unknown object. They didn't connect it with Amy until we found another victim. Again, blonde female," she handed her another file which Sara only glanced at, knowing what will be inside. "Both bodies were found in dumpsters. One at the back of an old casino, the other at some abandoned house. Like before…not even a single piece of evidence leading to a suspect was found."

"And he's escalating, Sara." Warrick added. "His last victim's body was so mutilated we couldn't identify her, not even by fingerprints…her hands were cut to the bones and chemically burned along with her face."

"Ok, I understand all that, but what does that have to do with me?" Sara brushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. She did this subconsciously whenever she was stressed, and a brutal serial killer and rapist running free was indeed a stressful situation. Moreover she had victims pleading faces before her eyes again and she wasn't sure if she had enough strength to fight with the appearing images. "I-I m-mean-" she stammered and took a deep breath noticing it. _Relax, Sidle._ "I do know that it was my case," she started again, "but I'm not a crime scene investigator any more, not in the strict sense of the word, that is. My field is research, not real crimes." She hadn't worked on a crime scene for over seven years, she just couldn't cope with cases any more, they were destroying her from the inside. She was having breakdowns on every one, and one day she just wasn't able to get up anymore, or face the victims, or their families, or even look in the mirror. She felt like she had failed them all...the victims of unsorted cases...people that died too young or too soon, failed her supervisor... That was one of the reasons why she had to leave Vegas. And ever since then she has been working in the San Francisco Criminal Research Laboratory, developing new methods for analyzing evidence, but never being in touch with actual crimes. It turned out to be the best job for her. She was still doing what she knew and liked, without the emotion involved when working with real victims, she finally had normal work hours, had time for herself …and, what wasn't without a meaning, she had been paid better.

"He told us you're the best." Grissom simply explained, sending a weak smile to her.

"What? What _he?_"

"Sara, this serial killer is impossible to catch by any method we know so far and we can't let him to run free either. We decided there's a need for something more…"

"…unverified?" Sara suggested sarcastically, which made Grissom raise his eyebrows.

"I was going for modern." He said and Sara smirked at his answer. "Whatever you call it, a place to find such a thing is in the Cisco lab. When I called there and said that the only things we had were physical abrasions on the victims' bodies, I was told that for 'anything physical' I must have Sara Sidle." It was Sara who raised her eyebrows this time. Thought she knew these were not Grissom's words, they still sounded good coming from his mouth.

"I'm going to make Stefano pay for that," she laughed.

"How do you know it was him I talked to?"

"He's the lab chief?" Sara answered with a question, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, he's the only one in the lab with the Greg-like sense of humor."

"Hey!" young CSI protested.

"Are you able to help us?" Nick joined the conversation before Greg was able to tell how touched by Sara's words he felt, even though a wide grin on his face was telling something different.

"I'm not sure, Nick." Sara sighed heavily, brushing her fingers through her hair. "There's this method I'm working on...it allows you to create a three dimensional projection of a tool or object from Mikrosil's impressions and pictures of wounds and bruises, which sometimes can help to narrow down the suspect's list, but it's never been fully tested. I'm still in the middle of writing the software for it. It's not yet prepared to be used by labs…It's…"

"Everything that we have." Grissom interrupted her "Can y..."

"I'm hungry" a sudden complaint coming from a girl's mouth made them all look in the direction it was coming from. Grissom stopped in the middle of his sentence, speechless, gaping at the young, dark haired girl, standing in the doorway with her lips forming a charming smile. She was no more than eight years old, maybe younger. He was sure he had never seen her before and yet she seemed so familiar to him, especially that smile. He had no doubts, he knew it, however stunned by girl's unexpected appearance, he couldn't classify it yet.


	3. Cassie

**A/N:** Usual thanks to Anaknusan *kisses*

_And one more thing. I have some major problems with my master thesis. I have to somehow solve them and then prepare for an exam, so please forgive me if I'm not able to post next chapters anytime soon. I'm not giving up on this story! I'll post something when the things settle down. Please be patient :)_

**Chapter 3 - Cassie**

Sara almost jumped at the sound of the girl's voice. For a moment it felt like all the air was sucked from the room, as if all the team members had stopped breathing. She quickly glanced at them, taking some more time to observing Grissom. His eyebrows were furrowed, as if he was lost deep in his thoughts. His facial expression similar to the one he used to have while processing a case's evidence. Sara bit her tongue to stifle the curse. This wasn't like she planned it. She wanted to have them all prepared, she wanted to take it slowly. But apparently her life never had been as she planned it to be. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly, turning to the little girl.

"What are you doing here Cassie?" She calmly asked, with a smile forming on her lips. Turning her back on Grissom she didn't notice how he froze up, finally finding an answer to the unspoken question inside his head, gazing now at two, almost identical smiles. Both brunettes even had the same cute tooth-gap. "Where's uncle Jim?"

"Busy?" The girl answered with a question and made her way in Sara's direction, ignoring the people observing her. "I'm hungry." She repeated with confidence, as if this was the way to explain everything, and climbed onto Sara's lap. Sara allowed that with an even sweeter smile. Grissom's eyes widened and he gasped but it went unnoticed as every single pair of eyes was observing Sara and Cassie. None of them had ever seen Sara allow any child in such close contact or even act so naturally with children. None of them expected to even see her with a child of her own.

"Did you eat all your sandwiches?" Sara asked.

"No." Cassie shook her head, "I shared with Fly." She added proudly, which made Sara hide a laugh behind a kiss she placed on the girl's head.

"Oh, did you? Did she at least like them?"

"She told me she prefers the ones with peanut butter and jelly." She raised her head, watching Sara with joyful sparkles in her vibrant blue eyes. Eyes so familiar, that Sara sometimes had trouble to meeting their gaze.

"You know, if she eats only peanut butter with jelly she'll never be able to fly, she'll become too heavy." She lightly tickled Cassie and the break room was filled with girl's sweet giggle. "I can give you my sandwiches, Butterfly, will it be ok?"

"With peanut butter?"

"No honey, mine are with cottage cheese, radishes and peppers."

"But..." Cassie wondered with an index finger pressed to her lips "…do I have to eat the peppers?" Sara chuckled and shook her head. She got up, taking Cassie into her arms for a while and then putting her back on a chair. For a moment the girl observed carefully to see if Sara was picking up all the pepper pieces from the sandwiches she took out from her own bag. But she soon got bored and found herself a new task – she started to observe the people sitting around the table, smiling at each of them. They were all to dazed by her sudden appearance to do more than just smile back. Grissom could hardly even do this. When Cassie turned to him he froze up for the second time this evening. A giant lump in his throat made it impossible to talk, even if he wanted or knew what to say. His muscles stiffened, preventing him from making any movements. He couldn't even turn from Cassie's enchanting gaze.

Did anyone notice what he did? Eyes that were looking straight into his own...Cassie's eyes…they were… He swallowed hard. But no, that was impossible...Sara would have told him _if_…Wouldn't she? So he must be imagining things.

"Is Fly your friend?" Grissom was distracted from his thoughts by Warrick's voice. Warrick was known for his ability to gain children's trust easily and now he seemed the only one not totally shocked by the whole situation. He took Cassie's smile as an invitation to a conversation.

"Yeeees." Cassie answered slowly. Her smile never leaving her lips. "She's my..." she stopped, trying to recall the proper word "ca....cat...ca-ter-pi-llar" she syllabified slowly.

"A plushie" Sara added in a whisper, returning to the table with the sandwiches for Cassie.

"Ca-ter-pi-llars turn into butterflies, you know." Cassie explained, before she pushed almost a whole sandwich into her mouth.

"And Fly will change too?"

"She told me she doesn't want to...but I do. I like butterflies." Cassie answered between bites and suddenly turned to Sara as if remembering something. "Uncle Jim told me, there's a room with butterflies here. Can we see it?" The little girl's eyes were shining with joy. "Please?" Sara sighed quietly, trying to hide it behind a smile. She had a reason to consider visiting that particular room as a very bad idea, yet on the other hand she would do anything for her little girl.

"I'll ask if we can, ok?" She stroked Cassie's hair, avoiding straight answer to her question. "Maybe you want tea with you sandwich?" She decided to change the subject.

"A yummy one?"

"Yummy? Well…" she wondered for a second if finding Cassie's favourite blend of tea was possible. "Hey, Griss, do you have your green tea somewhere?" She asked remembering Grissom used to drink that kind of tea. He was so surprised by a question so suddenly pointed to him that it took him longer then it should to understand what Sara was asking about. He was still unable to focus on anything else than Cassie.

"What?"

"Your green tea?" Sara repeated patiently, furrowing her eyebrows when she noticed who had grabbed Grissom's full attention.

"What about it?"

"Where is it, Griss?"

"Oh, … top shelf, right corner." He eventually answered.

"May I?" She asked only to be polite, already taking out a can of tea and placing some leaves in the big mug, putting the teakettle on after that. "Cassie, have you read your chapter yet?" Sara turned back to Cassie, while waiting for the water to boil.

"Almost…I got too hungry to read," girl hungrily took another bite, "it's about in-vi-si-bi-li-ty!" she smiled.

"Invisibility?" When the kettle whistled Sara turned to pour the hot water into the mug, adding a teaspoon of sugar to it.

"Uh-umm" Cassie nodded. "Some things can disappear, and we can't see them."

"Do you remember which things?" Sara took out another mug and poured half of the tea she made into it, carefully watching not to pour any tea leaves in. She touched her forearm with this new mug and decided to pour a little cold water into it as well. Only then she handled it to Cassie, "Careful, honey." Cassie sent her a sweet smile and took a sip. "So, can you tell me what disappears?"

"Evidence!" Girl answered as if it was an obvious answer. Greg choked and the rest were eyeing the little girl open-mouthed, when she talked about latent evidence with such ease.

"What kind of evidence?" Sara didn't give up, asking more precise questions.

"Ummm...fingerprints…" Cassie answered between sips of tea "and ah...blood?" She looked at Sara, unsure. Sara nodded and she continued, "and...and...this word with three letters...I can't remember…"

"DNA, maybe?" Sara asked. Cassie nodded, smiling widely. "And can we make it possible to make them...appear again?"

"You can!" Cassie exclaimed and Sara laughed at that answer and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead.

"But have you read how?"

"Almost…"

"I would add 'little girls' to the list of disappearing things." Sara turned at the sound of Jim Brass' voice and noticed him standing in the break room doors. "Thank God, they appear by themselves." Cassie giggled in an answer.

"Sorry, Jim." Sara apologized. "It seems that I didn't supply her with enough sandwiches." She tickled the girl, forcing a giggle from her, cuddling her afterwards.

"Should have told me you were hungry, Princess," Brass turned directly to Cassie, "I have some delicious chocolate cookies hidden in my office."

"Cookies?"

"Want to help me look for them?"

"Can I?" The question was directed at Sara.

"Sure, if you finished your tea and sandwiches." She answered and burst with laughter when the others were trying unsuccessfully to stifle their laughter, as Cassie stuffed the last bite of the sandwich in her mouth and quickly gulped down the rest of the tea.

"Finished!" Cassie barely mumbled through a mouth full of food.

"All right, then," Sara caressed Cassie's hair, "just don't let Fly eat all those cookies." She joked. "I'll come for you soon, all right? But I need to work a little more."

"A little?" Cassie turned her face up, facing Sara, with hope in her eyes. Sara's heart ached at the sight of this pleading look. She would gladly grasp the girl's hand now and take her home, but she still needed to work this case out with the team.

"I'll try to make it quick, Butterfly." She promised and Cassie caught her in a hug. "Go with uncle, ok? You have some cookies to find and like a half of the chapter to read, don't you?"

"But will you help me with the hard parts?"

"Always…" Cassie jumped from the chair and merrily skipped to the door. She smiled to Brass and turned around once more before leaving.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?" Sara tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear, now feeling the curious gazes of the others more than before. Till that point she wasn't sure if they figured out who Cassie was, but right now the girl left them with no doubts. Cassie showed something with her hand, a symbol, with two of her fingers bent. Grissom frowned, recognising this instantly. It was a part of his childhood. The language he was forced to learn in his early years. This little girl was signing. She was showing: _I love you._ Sara's smile widened. She returned Cassie's symbol and added some new ones. _I love you, very much. _Cassie smiled at that and taking Brass' hand she walked out of the room.


	4. Sidleish

**A/N:** So, today is my birthday and I decided to make a present both for you and myself and add another chapter. Unfortunately for the next one you'll have to wait until I pass my Master's and FCE exams :P

As always huge hugs for Anaknusan :*

**Chapter 4 – Sidle-ish**

Sara could feel the tension in the room almost literally on her skin. It was enveloping her from all sides while she was washing up. Their eyes were on her back, glaring at her, observing, with thousands of unanswered questions, ready to pop out from their mouths. She knew, that they were waiting for explanations. Though she wasn't sure if she could give any to them. She had never been a person for whom it was easy to talk about herself. Moreover she never wanted others to know too much about her. She felt safer hidden inside the shell she had made for herself in her childhood. She had allowed someone to step inside once, see all her secrets, worries, dreams... That had left deep cuts on her soul, wounds that were still painful. She sighed deeply and grasped a mug with the remains of the tea, warming her hands with it.

"That was...umm…Cassie." She said to no one in particular. "Cassandra Alicia." Sara turned around, with her eyes down, finding the contents of her mug more interesting than her colleagues. "I'm more than sure that you've already noticed, but probably there's a need for me to say this aloud," she finally raised her head to meet the team's questioning eyes, "Cassie is my _daughter_."

~*~  
"Wow!" Greg was the first one to react with something more than a jaw drop. "I never thought that I would hear it from you. I mean, that you have a child."

"Should have seen my reaction when I had found out I was having one, Greg." She laughed recalling her own response at the two blue stripes visible on a pregnancy test. She had had run two additional tests to make sure and yet she fully believed it only after seeing a doctor. Not to mention she smashed half a dozen mugs from desperation and anger.

"She is a beautiful and smart girl, Sara." Warrick complimented.

"Yeah, I'm sure you and her father are so proud of ..." Nick hissed from pain just before he managed to finish the sentence. Sara smirked. She looked all around the table deducing who might have kicked Nick, probably trying to stop him from asking a hidden question about Cassie's dad. She eyed everyone expect Grissom, finding it too hard to look into his deep eyes. From all the people in the room only he and Catherine might have noticed or figured out the truth she didn't want to be exposed.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a mischievous grin on Catherine's lips, revealing her as the one who kicked Nick. Sara was sure that Catherine understood more than any of the guys. After all who would understand a mother raising a child on her own better than a woman doing exactly the same. Sara sighed.

"Listen, guys, a lot has changed since I left Vegas."

"So we see…"

"But one thing didn't. I still want or even demand my private life to actually stay private. Yet…" she smiled at them, sweetening the harsh tone of the words she had just said and came back to take her place at the table "…knowing you, you won't give me a rest, so I'm going to explain something. Only once though." She played with a mug for a while, trying to find the right words in her head. "The decision to give birth and raise Cassie was _my own_. You don't need to be a scientist to know that she has a biological father, however, he's not a part of our life. Moreover, his identity should not be your concern. All that matters, is that Cassie is the centre of my world and not whose genes she has." Sara tried with all her strength not to look at Grissom while saying this, but the temptation was stronger. She was just hoping her occasional glances were staying unnoticed. Whether he already figured out the truth or not, what she was saying must have been hurting him: either she refused to admit that the child was his or she was admitting that she had a child with someone else. She could see the pain he was going through in the way his eyes darkened. Her heart ached, reminding her that somewhere deep in her, even after seven long years, she still had some feelings for the older man. She clenched her fists on the mug, making her knuckles turn white. "Now if you please…" she almost pleadingly gazed at the team, "I'm not planning to discuss the father issue any deeper. So no more questions about it."

~*~  
"So, you're teaching Cassie forensics already?" Catherine asked, breaking the silence and sending Sara an understandable smile, what made brunette smile back in a silent thanks.

"Well, she didn't give me much choice," Sara answered with a laugh, "I took her to the lab once, you know, to show her what I'm doing for a living." Sara smiled, more at her memories then at any of team members. "It was like letting a child into a candy store. She is not so happy even at Christmas Day like she was back then, dusting for fingerprints." Sara turned on her chair and for a moment was looking for something in her bag, finally taking out what they all knew from their everyday job – fingerprint lifted on a tape. She handed it to Warrick first, who was sitting next to her.

"Cassie lifted it?" He asked with a grin. The tape he was holding was a little messy, with additional smudges apart from the original fingerprint and lumps of dusting powder, but even like that it could be used for comparison. "Not bad for a…" he stopped halfway through the sentence, passing the fingerprint to Nick, "How old is she?"

"Six." Sara answered briefly, giving them just a rounded age. She tried to avoid giving too much detail about her daughter. They were scientists – the more details they knew, the sooner they would figure out the rest. And Sara wasn't ready for that yet. "Anyway, after that I found her reading my forensic textbook several times, this book was almost as heavy as she was, not to mention how much a six-year-old could understand from it. So, I decided that if she wants to learn about forensics so much, I'd find her a more appropriate book. It's still for a kid twice her age, but better than what is on my shelves," Sara grinned, "Now, you're probably going to tell me how reckless a mother I am…giving my child such a thing to read…"

"No." Grissom simply answered, his eyes focused on Sara.

"No, what?"

"No, we're not going to say you're irresponsible." He sent her a half-smile. "You're a wonderful mother, Sara." He added, making Sara look at him in disbelief, she wasn't prepared for a compliment from anyone and hearing it from him made her heart jump and ache at same time. She thanked him with a weak smile, hoping she wasn't blushing too much.

"And you know that from…?" She asked shyly.

"The last 15 minutes." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm observant. And I could see that Cassandra simply adores and loves you. The way she behaves with you, tells me that you are a great mother."

"Thanks…" that was the only thing she could come up with, too surprised by his words. Yet even though Grissom complimented her, there was some hidden sadness in his voice. Like he wasn't telling her everything.

"She is so...Sidle-ish!" Greg smirked, looking at the fingerprint in his hands. The term he used provoke everyone to burst with laughter. "I mean, a normal child would draw their mother a flower or something…not lift a fingerprint."

"Are you trying to say that I and my daughter are abnormal?" Sara crossed her arms on her chest.

"Um...well...I...that's not what…I was trying…" he stammered, cracking everybody up again.

"Relax, Greggo, I'm just joking." She patted his shoulder. "Good you haven't seen her picture gallery on our fridge." Sara choked through laughter.

"No flowers?"

"Nope," she laughed, "The last thing she drew was...an image from a comparison microscope, hair I think." Nick choked on his coffee, almost spilling it. "That's because she wants one for her birthday." Sara grinned, giving this simple explanation. "But if it makes you feel better, Greg, I have a butterfly picture too."

"Thank God." Young CSI smiled in response, pretending to sweep some sweat from his forehead.

"Oh, sorry, not _just_ a butterfly. It's a Western Tiger Swallowtail." Sara rolled her eyes. "Cassie forced me to remember this." She giggled seeing the change in Grissom's expression, his eyebrows almost touching his hair line. "Oh, yes, it's your fault, Griss," she grinned making him raise his eyebrows even higher, if that was possible. "Don't you remember that you gave me an insect textbook for Christmas?"

"And Cassie likes it?" Gil asked, his expression changed again and he looked like if he had just found a new bug specimen, so childishly excited.

"Oh, yeah. Thankfully butterflies are her favourites. Not those little, hissing, creepy... thingies..."

"Those are Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Sara."

"I don't care what are they called. They are…"

"Horrible? Hideous? Gruesome?" Catherine suggested, provoking everyone, except the entomologist, to laugh.

"You know, some people consider them to be better pets and friends then dogs."

"You never change, do you?" Sara was just barely able to hold her laughter in. Grissom frowned his eyebrows.

~*~  
"I don't mean to be rude, but can we please return to the case?" Sara asked after they all quieted down after a good deal of laughter.

"What? Tired of talking about your life?" Greg grinned, patting Sara's back.

"I could talk about my little girl and how proud she makes me for hours, Greggo, just like every _normal _mother," she answered sarcastically, "But I prefer to finish earlier and take her to our apartment. Besides, I still need to find a babysitter for her. It's not like I can bring her here every day, Jim wouldn't be too excited about that."

"I might have an idea for you. What about Lindsay?" Catherine asked.

"Lindsay?" Sara was surprised. She still remembered Catherine's daughter as a little blonde girl. Only now it hit her that Lindsay must be a grown up woman now. She quickly did some calculations and if she wasn't mistaken Lindsay was twenty-three already.

"Well, yeah, she's back from a grad school for summer break and currently looking for a part time job. Babysitting might be a good idea, she's good with children. Besides, you know her, so you won't be leaving Cassie with a total stranger."

"I think you have me convinced, Cath, that seems like a perfect choice. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'll call Lindsay and we'll arrange where and when." Catherine said fishing for her phone. "After that, it would be a good idea to get back to work. I'm sure we all want to hear more about this new method of yours."


	5. Decisions and consequences

**A/N:** I finally made it! I have my Master's degree and at last I have some free time. And, as you might have noticed, I have something for you – a new chapter. Enjoy!

Huge hugs for Anaknusan :*

**Chapter 5 – Decisions and consequences**

It took them additional two hours to finish the preliminary talking but they finally decided that Sara's research may actually help them. She would start the following afternoon, taking photos of the bruises and wounds and doing some Mikrosil impressions from bodies they still had in the morgue and then process it on her computer, using a software program she had written herself.

"So, that will be all for tonight?" Sara asked, stretching her muscles.

"Only for you." Greg smirked a bit disappointed.

"It is not too late to change the job, Greg." It was hard to tell if Grissom was serious or not, but Greg smiled to him anyway and stood up. The rest followed his example, knowing that other cases were waiting to be solved.

"Remember that Lindsay is picking up Cassie tomorrow around twelve." Catherine reminded.

"I will, thank you." Sara answered and smiled at Nick who gave her a good night kiss on her cheek.

"See you tomorrow, girl." Warrick hugged Sara following Catherine and Nick out of the room. Greg was the last one to leave.

"Sara? Do you...uh...do you...have...a minute?" Grissom stammered when they were left alone and Sara eyed him curiously. Was he nervous? But Grissom was never tense, not visibly anyway, not around Sara. That couldn't mean anything good, could it?

"Yeah, sure," she answered carefully, "but only if you walk me to Brass' office." He nodded in agreement, understanding that Sara wanted to pick up Cassie as soon as possible.

~*~  
"So…" Sara started when after a while Grissom made no effort to begin a conversation. "You wanted to talk about a case? I mean, it's not really your way. Using computer simulation…"

"If nothing else works…" Grissom said quietly, kind of automatically, deeply lost in his thoughts. Sara wondered if he actually heard her question. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"No?" Sara asked a bit surprised.

"No, Sara. I'd rather you told me the truth."

"The truth?" Grissom's straightforward words shocked her even though she was expecting questions of that matter from him. Maybe not so soon though. He must have noticed and he wanted answers. But the ones Sara could give him surely weren't what he wanted to hear.

"The truth is that I went to Cisco and had Cassie." Sara answered shortly. And more or less it was the truth. It omitted few details, but still the truth.

"Sara, you know what I'm asking about." Grissom paused, giving Sara a chance to say something, yet she remained quiet. "I could run some DNA tests, but…" he sighed, his eyes now piercing Sara, "…I don't need them to know that Cassandra is _my_ daughter."

"Great, just great..." She snapped, stopping suddenly a few steps away from Brass' office. She knew it would hurt to tell him what she was planning to tell him, but she saw no other choice. She had to do it. Sara crossed her arms on her chest, inhaling deeply for a few seconds before looking straight at her ex-supervisor. "I'm sorry, Griss, but she's not," she finally answered.

"Sara, her age...eyes... everything is telling m..."

"That's so typical," she cut him off. He tried to put hands on her shoulders, but Sara pushed them away. She knew what his touch might do to her and she couldn't let that happen now. There was anger and sadness in her eyes, thought her voice remained calm. "Nothing in my life is _yours_ anymore. Have you already forgotten the decision you made?" She paused to catch a few deep breaths, trying to ease the pain her own words were also causing her. She could tell that Grissom was feeling it too. The kind of pain she hated the most. As if someone was tearing your still beating heart apart. It got stronger when she looked in his eyes and found them empty. There was no anger, no hate, just a bitter emptiness. As if he had lost everything. She had to bite her lower lip so the scream wouldn't escape her mouth. "You don't get it, do you?" She asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Sara, I…"

"No. Don't 'Sara' me. Every decision has consequences. Yours too, you know. And if you don't remember then maybe I should remind you that seven years ago you made one, concerning me, _us_. You wanted me out of your life, you couldn't risk another step and let me go, don't you remember?" Of course he remembered. How could he forget? That was the hardest decision in his life. It seemed right back then – if he wasn't able to get her what she wanted then he just had to let her go – yet now, when Sara was bringing it all back and he couldn't do anything more than just stand there, speechless, he would gladly change the decision he had made. "Gil, you resigned from what I was offering to give you. You just turned down the life I was ready to have with you. _You_. Not me. And now? Now...when you see that there was…that there _is_ something beautiful in it, something you might even care about…you're just claiming it as yours! You don't even ask. You just take it for granted." Sara wasn't shouting, though some part of Grissom wanted her to do so. Maybe it would be easier to bear what she was saying if she did, because hearing the mournful tone of her voice was heartbreaking. "Grissom it doesn't just take some genes to be a father. And I don't care whose genes my daughter has."

_But she has mine, Sara. She is my child, __my daughter. _His whole body was screaming, even though no sound was coming from his mouth. No matter what Sara was telling him he was sure Cassie was his. She must have been. He could feel it.

"For me," Sara continued, "she does not have a father!" She turned around and walked away quickly, too scared to wait for his response. She was fighting back her own tears while making her way to Brass' office. She never wanted to hurt Gil, but she just saw no other choice. She had to protect the life she now had.

~*~  
Sara stopped before reaching the doorway to take a few calming breaths. Jim always treated her almost like a daughter and was quick to perceive any changes of her mood. She was praying he wouldn't notice the pain she was going through this time and, thankfully, he didn't. He just smiled at her, hushing her and pointing his head in the direction of the couch in his office. She turned to where he pointed and smiled seeing her daughter peacefully sleeping under Jim's jacket.

The conversation she just had with Grissom was still vivid in her head. As if someone put a recording of it on a loop. Her brow furrowed remembering something he said. Sara turned around hastily, and stumbled almost bumping into Grissom who surprisingly was standing right behind her. He opened his mouth to say something but Sara was faster.

"One more thing Grissom," she was whispering, loud enough for him to hear her distinctly, yet quiet enough for Jim not to hear a word and for her daughter not to wake. "If I find out, and trust me, I will, that you run any kind of tests…DNA, blood groups, anything…on my daughter…" she shook her head pausing for a moment, "the day I find out, will be the last day you are ever going to see or hear either from me or Cassie. I hope that's clear." She turned around again, even if Gil wanted to say something she didn't want to listen.

~*~  
Grissom observed in silence as Sara made her way deeper into Brass' office and leaned over her sleeping child. She replaced Jim's jacket with her own, tugging the little girl gently.

"Mommy?" Cassie mumbled, half-asleep.

"Shhh, honey, I'm taking you home." Sara whispered lovingly, lifting Cassie. In Sara's arms the girl was back asleep in matter of seconds. "Thank you, Jim," Sara nodded to the detective, "I owe you one."

"Don't even mention it." Jim grinned. "She's a great child."

"I know," Sara agreed with a smile.

"What's with him?" Brass pointed to the man still standing behind in the doorway.

"Ego..." Sara answered, causing both men to raise their eyebrows. With a little difficulty she picked up all of Cassie's stuff, including a green, plushie caterpillar, and her own bag, barely able to hold all that, and a sleeping daughter, in her arms. "See you tomorrow."

~*~  
"Sara…" she barely heard Grissom's silent whisper when she walked past him.

"Please, don't start it again." She almost begged. She just wanted to be at the apartment, in a cosy bed, far from all this. She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position for Cassie, unwillingly loosening the grip she had on the other stuff she was holding.

"No, I wanted to apologize." Grissom admitted, catching Sara's bag before it landed on the floor. He frowned and looked at Sara sympathetically. Without breaking eye contact he carefully took Cassie's backpack and Fly from Sara's grasp, watching for any signs of disapproval from her. He had been thinking about all that Sara had told him. Her bitter words revealed more about her feelings than she probably wanted. She sounded deeply hurt and unable to trust him. Grissom couldn't blame her. Being in her place he would probably do the same. "I'll walk you to the car." This time he did not wait for Sara's answer and she had no other choice but to follow him. "I've been thinking and I'm really sorry, Sara." He said when she joined him. He decided that whatever decision Sara made about Cassie's father's identity and his rights then he should respect it. What was important was that he knew the truth in his heart. "I should have never acted like I did. It was…very selfish of me." He admitted, clearly avoiding looking at Sara.

"I guess I didn't put you in a convenient situation. I could have warned you all that I have company."

"Nevertheless I shouldn't have acted so foolishly. I hope you can forgive me."

"I always do." Reassured by Sara's warm smile, Grissom relaxed a little.

"Listen ,Sara, I probably have no right to do this, but... I want to ask you for something…a favour…" he said hesitantly when they reached Sara's car.

"Can you firstly fish my keys from the bag. I have quite busy hands." Sara smiled shyly at him, brushing her fingers through Cassie's hair. Grissom nodded and opened the car doors. He waited while she was putting Cassie in the back seat and watched as she leaned on the back of her car, with arms crossed over her chest. An evening breeze was gently stirring her hair and once in a while she brushed some of the wisps out of her eyes. He had to hide his hand in his pockets to stifle the temptation to do it for her. "Look, I know I did put all of you in a difficult situation. It wasn't exactly how I planned it. I should have probably said something before. Probably definitely…" she sighed. "But Cassie is a part of my life now, and you must accept it."

"Let me spend some time with her, Sara." Grissom suddenly asked, with almost pleading look on his face.

"What?" She couldn't be more surprised, subconsciously reminding herself to keep her mouth closed.

"Cassie was excited about seeing butterflies. Let her see my collection." He was clutching at straws, but considered Cassie worth it. He had no doubts that Sara wouldn't allow him to actually be a father, he knew he screwed up too many things. He hurt her too much and he wasn't really surprised that now she was hurting him by denying him a right to be a part of her life, to be a father. But did he really have any rights? Sure he didn't know about Sara's pregnancy, but was it enough of an excuse for a lack of contact over last seven years? He definitely wasn't proud of himself. This time he really messed up, but this time he also wanted to make everything right. He wanted to meet his daughter, to get to know her. And if he couldn't be a dad than maybe he could become her tutor? Cassie liked butterflies and he knew just about everything that could be known about butterflies. He could share his passion for insects with that little girl. And, God, how he wanted to. Apparently Cassie had inherited from her mother some enchanting abilities, as she stole his heart from the first sight, exactly as her mother had done many years ago.

"No, Gil. That is _not_ a good idea." Sara shook her head.

"They're just butterflies, Sara, just butterflies."

"Since when are any bugs _just_ bugs?"

"I think you know the answer for that, Sara." Grissom said with a gentle smile. "Bugs never were more…"

"I can't do this." Sara interrupted, afraid of what she may hear if she let him finish.

"I'm not going to do anything but showing her some butterflies," he tried again, "and teaching her about them. And you can still be near, watching us, if you wish." Grissom caressed Sara's arm. This time she didn't back away from his touch, though he felt her stiffen. "Please."

"Listen, Gil, I really need to go to my apartment. It's way after Cassie's bedtime, and I'm tired too." She avoided answering his request, still considering it a very bad idea. Too much risk was involved with that. What if Cassie started to ask questions? What if seeing them together awaked long forgotten feelings in Sara? What if it hurt again? Did she have the strength to go through it once more? Was Grissom even aware what he was actually asking her for?

On the other hand she knew her daughter and had no doubts that watching all the colourful insects in Grissom's lab would be like a dream come true. Was she really ready to do anything for her little girl?

"Will you bring her?" Gil asked seeing Sara's hesitation.

"I can't promise you anything," she answered right before getting in the driver's seat, "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to him, smiling.

"Yeah…" he muttered under his breath and watched as Sara's car disappeared around the corner. He headed back to his office. Grissom was hoping it would be a calm night in the 'city of sins' as all he could think of now were two beautiful brunettes.


	6. Crossing a line

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews. Sorry I did not answer them, but apparently I had less free time while on holidays than I had while still studying at the university. I am amazed that I actually found some time to write new chapter *giggle*

Hugs for Anaknusan for excellent beta-reading :*

Enjoy :)

**Chapter 6 – **** Crossing a line**

Sara stiffed a yawn. Her body strongly demanded the sleep that she had been denying herself for more or less 30 hours. And still she was nowhere near getting some. She sighed heavily and shifted on the chair. After so many hours of working, every position was uncomfortable so she was just trying to find the least painful one. She let a quiet groan escape her lips as her back reacted painfully to the sudden change.

"I'll make them pay for my rehabilitation after this." Sara moaned.

Of course Grissom insisted that she go home and get some rest, but after the first attempt at leaving her computer working on its own for the night she gave up that idea. The software she was working with wasn't perfect. It wasn't even a beta version yet. She was still writing and testing it. Its main inconvenience was its inability to save the results while still processing other data. It wasn't a big problem when she was working with just a few photos and the processing time was no longer than one hour. But this time she had over two dozen photos of different bruises and abrasions from the Amy Mitchel case alone. All of them in three copies: normal, UV and infrared. And all of them needed to be thoroughly scanned and then compared in a specially designed process which was searching for similarities between them. Thankfully she didn't have Mikrosil's impressions this time. Working with them was even more annoying because of a need to use a 3D hand scanner. Very precise, but very, very slow. Even without this stage, processing had been estimated at a minimum of six hours during which the computer would compare each photo with the others, seeking similarity points and tracing them. When it had enough data it would interpolate a 3D image of all possible weapons or objects used.

At least that was how it would work in a perfect situation. But if anything happened during the processing stage – a power loss for example – Sara's software wouldn't be able to save the results and she would be forced to start all over.

With Sara's luck that was exactly what had happened while she was at the apartment getting some sleep. Either someone turned her laptop off, not noticing the running process or the power loss made it turn itself off. Either way it forced Sara to start everything from scratch. It also provoked her to made the decision not to leave the lab until all the data was fully processed and the results saved. Being near when the computer was working would give her a chance to react if anything went wrong. Her laptop could run just on its battery, but with the amount of power her software needed to run, it would only give her an additional few minutes. Still it would give her a chance to do an emergency stop on the program and then save what it had. Also, being at the computer meant she could reduce the processing time by indicating similarities she could spot herself.

If only staring at the computer screen with hardly any breaks didn't make her eyes ache so much.

An electronic beep made Sara move against the protest from her stiff muscles. 'Processing graphical data finished' – the computer announced – 'results inconclusive'. Sara sighed. So again, nothing new. That was really frustrating. The whole team believed in her and even after 30 hours of nonstop work she wasn't a bit closer to helping them. Sara blinked few times to ease the pain in her eyes and clicked the save button. The software automatically begun processing another portion of photos. At least she had analyzed more than half of the photos from the second case and maybe another 24 hours spent here would allow her to finish all of the photos and impressions and she would finally be able to go home before further analysis of whatever her software would give her.

Sara moved carefully, this time giving her body a chance to slowly adjust to a standing position. She rubbed her eyes while stiffing another yawn. With a quiet sigh she made her way to the break room – results or not she needed caffeine. She left her computer working, with a big pink post-it note stuck to it – DO NOT SWITCH OFF. It didn't help during the first night, but she left it nonetheless, just in case.

~*~  
The scent of freshly made coffee woke her, clearing her thoughts. She looked at the clock and quickly calculated that in a few hours she would end her fifth shift in a row. She didn't remember working so long since…Sara brushed a wisp of hair from her face, wondering…oh, yeah, since she left Vegas. This city was already affecting her. She was working at her limits and moreover her nightmares were back. Though she had only a few naps during the last few days she was already seeing victims' faces, their pleading eyes or massacred bodies in her dreams. Exactly like it had been before she moved to Cisco. She hated it. She hated what this city was doing to her. What was more, this time it was affecting her daughter too. The little girl was almost crying when Sara told her she would have to stay at work and Cassie would be forced to stay at Catherine's place for some time. Thanks to Lindsay, who promised Cassie movies and a lot of popcorn, it ended without major hysteria. Cassie wasn't used to sharing Sara, there never was such a situation in Cisco. Sara was always spending every possible moment with her daughter, but now she couldn't. Cassie was almost heartbroken.

"Just for a couple of days, Butterfly." Sara had promised. "Remember that we are going to see each other when you'll come to see Uncle Gil's butterflies." Oh, yeah, she'd finally agreed to accept Grissom's invitation. She knew it would make Cassie happy. But she didn't realize how happy it would actually make Gil. He had such a childish enthusiasm in his eyes that Sara had a hard time stiffing a laugh. She could almost swear Grissom was jumping from excitement when she wasn't looking.

Sara glanced at the clock again. Grissom was supposed to pick up Cassie today before his shift, so she would see her daughter in about…

"Mommy!" Sara almost dropped the cup at the sound of her own daughter's voice. She looked at the clock again to make sure she had read it correctly. She had. Sara's brow furrowed, calculating that Grissom was almost four hours early for his shift. She looked at him questioningly but he just shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the door frame. In the same moment Cassie ran to her and Sara quickly enclosed her in a warm hug, forgetting about her doubts.

"I missed you, Butterfly." She whispered lovingly while kissing Cassie.

"I missed you too, Mommy."

"How was your day?" She asked, guiding Cassie to the table and allowing the little girl to sit on her lap.

"Lindsay is teaching me to dance!" Cassie exclaimed cheerfully. "She's taking me to her dance school."

"Do you like it?"

"Uh-huh…" Cassie nodded, "but I'm not very good. I'm always stumbling and falling over…" she complained and showed a bruise on her forearm. Sara cuddled her and kissed the purple mark delicately.

"That's probably because you just started, honey. I'm sure it will get better with more practice."

"Really?"

"Of course." Sara smiled and brushed fingers through Cassie's hair. The little girl rested her head on Sara's chest and simply enjoyed being in her mother's arms.

~*~  
"Oh…" Cassie suddenly jumped from Sara's lap and ran to Grissom, who was still standing in the doorway. Only then Sara noticed that he had been holding Cassie's backpack and Fly all that time. "Mommy, look what uncle Gil gave me!" The little girl said merrily and with Gil's help she opened her backpack, took out something and ran back to Sara. She climbed back on her lap with a big black book in her hands. Sara recognized it instantly by the green butterfly on its cover.

Grissom observed how Sara's head shot up to meet his eyes with irritation and confusion in her own. He was expecting some fierce reaction but to his surprise Sara remained calm. She just shook her head. Something told him he wasn't going to escape from the situation so easily, but it seemed that while Cassie was there Sara at least wasn't going to yell at him. Instead she leaned over the book and allowed her daughter to show her the pictures she liked the most. Grissom smiled when Cassie began to explain to Sara what he had told her about some butterflies earlier.

"And look, Mommy, that's a Moon Moth. It's my favorite. Uncle Gil said he has one in his office. I can't wait to see it."

"You haven't yet?" Sara asked, surprised. She was sure that they'd already been to Gil's office.

"I thought you would like to see her first." Grissom explained with a soft smile. "You must have missed her so I guessed you would like to have some time together." He added and smiled at Sara, who thanked him silently with a nod and a sweet smile of her own. The smile he knew so well. "We can start butterfly lectures later and as I said you are welcome to join."

"Honey, have you thanked Gil for the gift?" Sara asked her daughter.

"Thank you." Cassie said merrily and out of habit signed it as well.

"You're welcome." Gil said and also signed his answer.

"You can do it too?" The girl exclaimed fascinated.

_I was taught long ago._ This time Grissom only signed the sentence, without saying it aloud.

"That was too hard." Cassie complained and sought for help in Sara's eyes.

"I'm sure you can read it," Sara reassured, "you know some symbols."

"Not all…"

"I'll help you with them, ok?" She brushed through Cassie's hair. "Griss, can you sign it again? Slowly?"

Grissom nodded and repeated the symbols, waiting after every one till Cassie recognized it or Sara whispered an answer in the girl's ear. They looked so sweet together. It was almost melting his heart. Even a stranger could see how much love was between them. A perfect family. Family that could have been his if he hadn't made that fateful decision.

"See? That wasn't so hard." Sara grinned and kissed Cassie's head when they read Gil's sentence. Grissom signed something new and Sara suddenly stiffened in the chair. Her lips were still pressed against Cassie's head but her eyes were piercing Grissom with anger and confusion. She glanced at her daughter and noticed with relief that she had her head hidden in Sara's arms and probably hadn't noticed anything.

_No!_ She signed behind Cassie's back. How Grissom could ask something like that? Hadn't she already agreed to allow him to show Cassie some bugs? Why was he asking for more? Why was he crossing the line again?

"I'm pretty sure you didn't have dinner yet?" Sara asked her daughter still sending angry glares at Grissom. Cassie shook her head with a smile. "Ok, I'm going to make you something Butterfly."

~*~  
"What the hell were you thinking Griss?!" Sara whispered harshly, first making sure that Cassie couldn't hear her. "First the most expensive butterfly album and now this?" She turned from him and opened the fridge. She was searching for something for Cassie to eat sending angry glares at Grissom at the same time.

"I just thought my student needed a textbook for the lectures." He explained with a smile. "Besides, it wasn't as expensive as you think."

"Stop it, Gil, I know exactly how expensive it was." She shook her head and sighed. After some more exploring of the contents of the fridge she chose a cherry yogurt and a chocolate muffin. While she stifled another yawn she decided on an energy drink for herself. "And that's not really important. Why did you buy her a gift anyway? What are you trying to achieve Grissom?" She asked angrily.

"Nothing, Sara, it's just a book…"

"Are you sure about that?" She asked suspiciously. Grissom said nothing. "I don't approve of what you did. You should have at least asked me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about it." Grissom reached to caress Sara's arm. She stiffened under his touch but didn't change her position. "It's just I know this book. And it's one of the best about butterflies. And everyone interested in them should have it." The warmth of his palm was sending shivers down Sara's spine and she noticed that it became harder to control her breathing. Not to mention that she could hardly focus on what he was saying. It was so long since he last touched her…

"I…I'm still mad at you." Sara whispered shakily which made Grissom smile. It seemed more as if she was reminding herself that she was mad then actually talking to him.

"I know," he nodded, "but tell me, what's really wrong with me spending some time with your daughter? We all used to spend time with Linds when she was a kid."

"But that's not all…" she shook her head and took few steps back to free herself from his touch.

"So we're still going back to the gift, right? Sara, it's not like Lindsay never got a present from us. Each of us was giving her something for her birthday." Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "And we missed like six of Cassie's birthdays."

"Gil…" she started but her voice faltered. She sighed deeply. "Gil, you are _not _her father. You don't have any responsibilities." She started to count the floor tiles, just to have something to do instead of looking in Grissom's eyes. To avoid seeing her own pain that must have been mirrored in his irises.

"I'm not saying I am, Sara." He agreed sadly. No matter how hard it was he decided he must accept it. The last thing he wanted was to fight over it. "All I'm saying is that it is nice to finally have someone sharing my passion. You know that I love teaching and though I've barely started I know she's a great student."

"All right, bugs I understand," Sara smiled weakly, "but giving her presents without any occasion? And this second proposition?" Sara shook her head remembering the second sentence Grissom had signed. "Don't you think you're crossing the line?"

"I thought she might like it." He simply explained. "And…I thought that it may give you the chance to spend more time with her."

"What?"

"You're here almost all day and night. And knowing you, even if you get to the point when you can go home, you'll still be spending a majority of time here till the case is solved. I figured it would be easier to invite Cassie here then send you home."

"Since when you are so thoughtful?" Sara asked sarcastically. "And why do you care so much?"

"Listen, let's just try it, ok?" He said avoiding a straight answer to Sara's questions. "One afternoon…and if you still think it's a bad idea then we'll quit."

"You have no idea how much you're expecting from me." Sara whispered. Why didn't he understand how hard it was for her? How scared she was? Scared that her daughter might get used to Gil, might start to love him. And when the time came to go back to Cisco her little girl would be heartbroken. And that would break Sara's heart too. Sara sighed and with a shaking hand tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. On the other hand, it was just a couple of days. Maybe in that short period of time nothing bad would happen. And Cassie would be happy and making her happy was the most important thing in Sara's life. Other problems could be dealt with later, right? "All right, Grissom…" she sighed, "one afternoon for starters, and I'm staying with you."

Grissom nodded and his smile widened. "Thank you." He said and reached for Sara's hand. He felt a desire to kiss her, to show how much it meant to him but at the same time it didn't feel appropriate. Sara wouldn't like that. She hardly allowed him to touch her. So he just squeezed her hand gently and rubbed it with his thumb caringly. "Thank you." He repeated.

"Yeah…" Sara smiled and slowly released her hand from his grip. To keep her hands busy she gathered the things she'd prepared for Cassie's dinner. "Can you show Cassie that sentence once more?"

~*~  
Sara slowly walked back to the table. The place where Gil's hand had touched her skin was burning. As if his hand was still there. She had butterflies in her belly. She hadn't felt like that for a while now. She had almost forgotten that feeling. Or at least wanted to forget. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself before she placed the snack in front of her daughter.

"Here you go, Butterfly."

"A chocolate muffin?" The girl asked with a huge smile and joyful sparkles in her eyes. "For dinner?" Sweets were never regarded as a proper meal in Sara's opinion so now while she had a chance Cassie started to unwrap the cookie eagerly.

"Cassie…" Sara laughed with a bit of a reprimanding tone.

"I know, yogurt first." The little girl reminded herself and swapped the half opened muffin for a yogurt. Sara, still laughing, helped her to open it.

"Would you like to try to read another sentence that uncle Gil will show you?"

"Um-hmm." Cassie nodded with a mouth full of yogurt and immediately turned to face Grissom. Sara sat next to her and watched as Gil very slowly repeated the sentence he had showed before. She helped her daughter with some symbols but most of them Cassie already knew. "_I…can give you…a signing lessons…if you like_." Cassie spelled while licking off yogurt from the spoon. "Can I, Mommy?" She asked enthusiastically. "Can I? Can I?"

Sara laughed merrily and nodded, confirming her 'yes' also with an ASL symbol.


	7. The meeting

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews. They really keep me going.

Hugs for Anaknusan for excellent beta-reading :*

**Chapter 7 – The meeting**

"Grissom." He answered his cell phone with the usual, professional tone and Sara guessed he must have done it without checking the caller ID.

"Hi, it's Sara."

"Oh, hi…" the tone of his voice changed immediately. Sara could almost literally feel him smiling. It had always been like this – whenever she called, Grissom seemed to be blissful. As if incredibly happy to hear from her. Even if Sara was sure he had had a bad day, there was joy in his voice reserved only for her. What surprised Sara more was that it never changed, not even when they drifted apart.

"I've heard you are an amazing teacher." Sara complimented, smiling.

"You did?" Grissom asked surprised. "Did Cassandra said so?" Sara smirked hearing him using Cassie's full name. of all the people she knew, Grissom was the only one who always used a person's full name. Even if it was a six year old kid.

"Well, it was actually something more like: uncle Gil is the best-est!"

"Really?" Grissom laughed.

"She loves your lessons."

"That's why you agreed to let her come more than once?"

"One of the reasons, yes."

"You know…" Grissom paused, "a teacher can't be good without remarkable students."

Sara guessed he must have grinned. "I thought you would say something like that. Always modest, aren't you?" She laughed. "But thank you. She is a great child."

"Any time. And she truly is. But that is not why you're calling, is it?"

"I'm calling because I want you to gather a meeting in the layout room."

"Why? You've got results?" He asked excited.

"Not what you are expecting," Sara admitted with a sigh, "but you should see this anyway."

"Where are you?"

"Where do you think?" She asked sarcastically. "Layout room." Of course. Where else would she be? Grissom grinned. Knowing her, she was ready to give her presentation or whatever she had for them even before she had made that call.

"Give me 10 minutes." He said quickly and disconnected, dialing Catherine's number immediately after that.

~*~  
"So what do you have for us?" Catherine asked when she entered the room, quickly followed by the rest of the team.

"Why don't you take your seats first?" Sara asked with a smile and pointed at the chairs around the table. There was a projector in the middle, currently showing her computer's desktop on the wall. Grissom and Catherine both smiled, noticing Sara's daughter's photo set as her wallpaper.

"Oh, so it's going to be a longer explanation, I see." Nick grinned.

"Well, you can always go back to dusting something for fingerprints." Sara answered sarcastically and winked. She waited till everyone took their seats before she continued. "Ok, so, you already know processing data from individual cases didn't get me very far. I did warn you, however, that it may end like that. But…" she smiled, "I thought of a new approach. I decided to make a simple assumption that in all three cases the same tool or object was used. Now, before you say something – I do know that making assumptions is not how you work. But my software itself is not really approved for laboratory use yet, so I thought I might allow myself to do another not approved thing."

"But it led you to results?"

"If you ask if I found a tool then the answer is no, but…" she smiled again.

"I love it when you say 'but' with that accent. That means you've got something." Nick grinned making the team laugh.

"Something… yup, that's a good word." Sara smiled back. "What I found is not a tool…" she added and typed something on her keyboard. The image on the wall changed to a photo slide-show. "Here are the photos I used," she explained, "and the abrasions on them," Sara added while the appropriate part of the each photo flashed red. She typed something again to show all the pictures together and when she pressed a button all the red parts flickered once more and moved to assemble one picture. "That's what I've got after comparing them and interpolating the missing voids." She explained and once more pressed a button. The image they had been seeing now changed into three different ones. One they recognized as a 3D model.

"Is it … a hand?" Warrick asked leaning forward in his chair to have a better view.

"Yes," Sara nodded, "I think someone must have been holding the victims down. Very hard, otherwise the bruises wouldn't be so strong."

"And what does that actually give us?" Catherine asked shaking her head. "We already know they've been beaten."

"I don't think that's from a beating." Grissom bit on the tip of his glasses. "Do I recognize correctly the picture in the upper right corner? Does it mark the place on the victim's bodies where you found those particular bruises?"

"Yes." Sara nodded and enlarged the photo so the others would see what Grissom already noticed. "Most of the abrasions where on the shoulders. And both the position and direction of them indicates…"

"…that they were not made by the killer." Grissom finished for her, smiling with appreciation. "You're telling us the murderer had a helper."

"I'm not telling you anything." Sara answered. "I'm showing you what I found, reaching a conclusion is your job, isn't it?" She laughed.

"So, does it actually takes us any closer to a suspect?" Greg shrugged his shoulder. "He had a helper, so what?"

"Hmmm…" Grissom murmured and frowned. "We are still missing something, aren't we, Sara?" He asked with a smile and put his glasses back on.

"Are you guessing or did you just notice what you are all missing?" Sara crossed her arms on her chest and leaned on the wall.

"There's something with this hand…" he whispered more to himself than to any of the other people present in the room. Sara grinned and watched as five pairs of eyes were scrutinizing the displayed images.

"Ok, time's up!" She laughed after few minutes. "Let me show you…" she grinned widely.

"You were waiting for that, weren't you?" Greg commented with sarcasm.

"Oh, I see we have a first volunteer." Sara smirked.

"Volunteer? I didn't volunteer to anything."

"Yes you did. And Warrick did too. Come on… it's for scientific purposes."

"Go on boys, don't be shy." Nick chuckled.

"There is a point in this, isn't there?" Warrick asked when he joined Sara.

"Yes and I've chosen you for a reason. You failed to notice what's important about the _size_ of that hand image, so I'm going to show you what you missed. From all of you Greg has the smallest hands and Warrick the biggest. And…"

"My hands are bigger than Warrick's!" Nick interrupted, examining his palms and raising them up.

"I beg to differ, Nicky." Warrick answered teasingly.

"Could you please compare sizes of your body parts in your free time?" Grissom interrupted their conversation and frowned. "Sara, could you continue?"

"Yeah,…" she choked out and coughed to conceal laughter. "Warrick, you first." She pushed a button on a keyboard and one of the images moved to the center of the screen. "That's the hand's image in a 1:1 scale. Put your hand there, please."

Warrick did as he was told. His palm was almost twice as big as the one on the image.

"Greggo, your turn."

Young CSI repeated colleague's movement and though his hand was smaller it still was bigger and a lot wider than the one that made bruises on victims' bodies.

"Thanks for your cooperation." Sara smiled. "So, now you see it?"

"Well, our suspect has a very small hands." Catherine wondered. "A teenager?"

"That was my first guess too." Sara nodded. "But it's not possible. There is a 10 year pause between the first and the second crime and if the suspect was a teenager his hand size would change in that time. It would be bigger now but my software shows that the size did not change."

"So that's leading us to nowhere?" Greg shrugged.

"I wouldn't say so…" Sara grinned and placed her own hand on the image. They all gasped as the size matched almost perfectly. Sara had more slender fingers and shape of her hand was different but the size and width of her palm and the hand from the image were equal.

"A woman?" Grissom asked and removed his glasses, putting the tip of them between his teeth.

"But that's rare. A woman being a serial killer?" Nick shook his head.

"Not a killer, an accomplice." Grissom reminded.

"Ok, now we need to find a mysterious woman having something in common with all three victims."

"That's your job." Sara grinned. "I'm off for today." She smiled widely at the thought of finally going back to the apartment and her daughter after almost four days and nights spent in the lab.

~*~  
"Hey, is that a new tattoo fashion from San Francisco?" Gregg asked so suddenly that the team stared at him confused.

"What?" Both Warrick and Nick asked.

"I was talking to Sara…" Greg explained, rolling his eyes and pointing at Sara's hand, which she was still pressing against the wall. Immediately all eyes focused on an image drawn on the back of her hand.

"Oh, that's a…" she traced the butterfly-shaped drawing with her finger, "that's a…Cassie's way of reminding others about various things." She explained with a smile.

"What do you have to remember about?"

"I…" Sara smiled at her memories, "I must remember to come home." She whispered.

"First night home?" Catherine smiled understandingly. "Then we shouldn't keep you here any longer."

"Is it washable?" Grissom asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"What? This?" Sara giggled pointing at her butterfly. "Not really, but Cassie has some special erasing marker for it. Why? Does it bother you?" This time she frowned.

"No. Not that one anyway." He shook his head. "But because of this one…" he added rising his hand up and showing similar butterfly drawn on the back of his palm, "I might lose credibility in court." He grinned.

"She 'marked' you too." Sara smiled sympathetically. "What did she make you remember?"

"That's the problem. I have no idea."

Seeing Grissom's embarrassed expression Sara could hardly stifle laughing. And the rest of the team didn't even bother to try and not laugh.

"I guess," she chuckled, "you'll stay marked for a long time then."

"Sara?"

By now the team was almost literally rolling on the floor laughing. Their infectious laughter and Grissom's please-tell-me-you're-kidding face didn't help Sara to stay serious and she burst with cheery laughter too.

"Griss…relax, will you?" She said after calming down. "Show me it." She made her way to the place where he was sitting and gently took his hand into hers. "I think you're losing your investigating abilities, Gil. You didn't take a closer look at this." She smiled at him and touched his butterfly symbol. She hoped Grissom wouldn't notice how badly her own hands were shaking and how unevenly her heart was beating. All of that only because he was close. _Get a hold of yourself, Sidle._ "You see, Cassie always draws some hints about the thing she wants you to remember. See this?" She asked and placed her palm on top of his so he could take a closer look. "On one of the butterfly wings there's a little house." She smiled and let go of his hands. "You too have something, take a look."

"Is it…a book?" He asked looking at Sara from above his glasses.

"Yes. But there's still more to it. Look closer."

"Do you need a magnifying glass?" Catherine asked with sarcasm. Greg chuckled.

"There are some letters. It seems there is an A, S and L." He wondered aloud, ignoring Catherine's comment. "Oh! ASL. The book. I promised to let Cassie borrow my first sign language book."

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Thank you, my dear." Grissom understood what he exactly said only after a smile vanished from Sara's face for a moment. He wanted to apologize but noticed in Sara's eyes that she chose to ignore what he had called her and that the apart from her no one noticed something was wrong. He decided that saying anything more might make matters worse.

"Any time." Sara smiled weakly and went back to her place. "Guys, I think it's time for me to go. I believe my daughter is giving Linds a hard time by refusing to go sleep before I come home."

"I still can't believe you didn't say a word about that." Nick said of a sudden, shaking his head.

"About what?" Sara asked confused. "Going home? You all knew about that."

"No, not that. About Cassie…" he explained, his eyes focused on the girl's picture displayed on the wall again.

Sara sighed. "You-didn't-ask answer won't satisfy you, right?" She asked, forcing a cheerful tone and tucking wisp of hair behind her ear. This certainly wasn't a conversation she wanted to have.

"Not really." He admitted with a weak smile.

"Give it a rest Nicky." Warrick interrupted. "Sara had a right to do as she wanted."

"But Cassie should be the team's daughter, like Linds is." Nick whispered.

Sara smiled. She still remembered that every one of them had their deal in looking after Catherine's daughter. They were all her uncles and aunts. What Nick didn't know was that Cassie had it all too. Only the team was different.

"Nick, do you really think that it would change anything if you knew?" She asked. "I would still be like 500 miles from Vegas."

"I could visit you from time to time." Nick smiled but quite suddenly his expression changed and next words he said were full of anger. "I could take care of you like the one who got you into this trouble should!"

Sara froze. Some of the others did too. Catherine reprimanded Nick by speaking his name aloud and Warrick placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. They wanted to get him to know that he was clearly crossing a line. After all, they had agreed not to mention Cassie's father in any kind of conversations.

Sara was confused. Nick was always her best friend, the one she always confided in, the one she trusted. She never wanted to lose him or break his trust but she just couldn't tell him the truth. And the situation couldn't stay like that either. She glanced at Grissom only to see how tense he was. He was hiding his hands in his pockets but she still noticed they were shaking, clenched in fists.

"Nick, you're making judgment without having solid evidence of what really happened." She said calmly. "Or what's more important – you don't pay attention to my own words. Didn't I already said it was _my_ decision? I was perfectly aware of its consequences." Sara leaned against the table and crossed her arms. Nick lowered his head and murmured something under his breath. "Listen, it's not that I don't appreciate you caring for me. I always liked to be your little sister but you must understand that I am a big girl and I am capable of taking care of both me and my daughter. I chose not to tell you about Cassie or her father because it was better that way." She explained. "Better for me." She added seeing Nick's doubtful gaze. "Anyway I don't think it's important whom he is. Expect that he is a good guy." Sara noticed Grissom raising his eyebrows in amazement and smiled.

"Good guy?" This time Greg burst out. "He left you pregnant!" He shouted. The expression on Nick's face revealed that he truly agreed with the younger CSI.

Sara exhaled heavily and lowered her head. She noticed that Grissom was hardly able to stay calm this time. And she was getting angry too. When she spoke her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Did any of you ever consider that maybe _he_ wasn't the one who left? Or that maybe whoever of us left had a reason to do so?" The low murmurs of her voice became more harsh. "You don't know him. And you have no right to judge him…or me." Sara angrily closed her laptop and packed it in the bag.

"I'm sorry Sara," Nick stood up and carefully made his way to Sara, "I might have overreacted." He admitted and gently caressed Sara's hand.

"Yeah, me too." Greg added.

"Nick, you know that I'm fine, I really am." Sara said calmly without any signs that she was irritated just a moment ago. "I just have a daughter, that's it. Nothing more is important."

"Apparently I'm a little overprotective brother." Nick smirked. "I just wished I was Cassie's uncle, you know. That I could be there on her birthdays. And that I could buy her her first chemistry set."

"Who said you aren't her uncle?" Sara winked and Nick face was immediately brightened up with a smile. "Just, please, no more chemistry sets," she laughed and seeing their confused faces added, "it's just that with the first one she almost dyed Steffano's cat blue and after the next one we were forced to change our living room wallpaper."

"Cool!" Greg exclaimed, his words followed by everyone's laughter and Grissom's triumphant smile.

"Wish I could be there to see it." Nick laughed and Sara slapped his arm.

"Now it's really time for me to go," Sara then smiled, "see you in a few days."


	8. Lost…

**A/N: **Sorry I kept you waiting for so long. I've been extremely nervous about my driver's license practice exam (it's really hard to pass it in my country) and I couldn't focus on anything else.

I passed it yesterday *dances* so here you have the next chapter :D

Thanks to Anaknusan for excellent beta-reading :*

**Chapter 8 – Lost…**

"Mommy do you have to go?" Cassie asked while Sara was helping her get out of the car.

"You know I do, Butterfly." Sara answered calmly regretting that the one and a half free days with Cassie ended so quickly and she was obliged to go back to work. "But I'm not staying overnight, honey." She added.

Sara made a decision to spend most of the time working on a swing shift and then stay at the night shift only long enough to meet the team, share a meal or a chat and present results if there were any. That way she was able to spend most of the day with her daughter and also get some sleep at night.

"I'll be asleep when you get back." Cassie complained.

"I know," Sara cuddled her caringly, "but we'll have almost a whole day for us tomorrow before I'll have to go to work again. And we can do anything you want." She promised and helped Cassie to put her backpack on. "Do you have everything?"

"Uh-huh." Cassie nodded.

"Are you sure? What about Fly?" Sara laughed and handed Cassie the forgotten toy from the backseat of the car.

"Oops." The girl giggled.

"I'll be home before you start to miss me." Sara smiled and placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"But I already do…"

"It's only for another week, maybe even not that long." Sara knelt down and allowed her daughter to hide in her arms. "We'll soon go back to Cisco." Cassie nodded and cuddled closer to Sara, who kissed her several times. "All right, honey, Lindsay is waiting for you just across the street. Be good, ok?"

"I love you, Mommy."

"That's good 'cos I love you too." Sara smiled and allowed her daughter to cross the street when no car was passing. She watched as Cassie joined Lindsay, standing near an awfully shiny, bright orange car with rainbow-colored stars painted on it. "Vegas." She commented sarcastically. Only in this city could you see such extraordinary painted cars and this one was the fourth she'd seen so far. Sara waved good-bye to her daughter and got in the driver's seat. She started the engine only when Cassie, hand in hand with Lindsay, entered the school.

~*~  
"Back from your 'vacation' already?" A cheerful voice distracted Sara from her work. She turned around to greet Nick.

"Oh, hi, Nicky. Aren't you too early for your shift?" She asked glancing at the computer clock.

"Haven't you heard? There had been a cop murder." Nick sighed and took a place next to Sara. "Both night and day shifts had been called to join the swing."

"He must have been a very important person."

"Chief's son. And his partner had been badly wounded. He's at the ICU. He may not live through the night."

"Which explains everything. Seems like you'll have a busy night."

"I wish that tonight was the only busy night." Nick complained. "But enough about that," he smiled, "so what did you do with your free time? Slept all night long?"

"I wish." Sara smirked. "My daughter had different plans than sleeping."

"Sightseeing Vegas?"

"Like there are any appropriate sights for a six-year-old in Vegas." They both laughed. "We decided to go visit a theme park."

"Which one?"

"All of them actually." Sara grinned as Nick raised his eyebrows.

"In one day?" He asked amazed. "That's possible?"

"Oh yeah, and Cassie is very good at this. Maybe next time you should go with us?"

"You think I will manage?" Nick laughed.

"A lot of caffeine and sugar and everything is possible." She explained with a giggle.

"So I guess Cassie must have enjoyed it."

"She was delighted. I think she rode every possible rollercoaster." Sara nodded. "Some of them even twice. In the end she was so exhausted she was falling asleep in my arms when I was giving her a bath. And not for a single moment did she stop smiling."

"And you?"

"I'm happy when she's happy. Though I must admit I'm tired." She complained and with a laugh rest her head on Nick shoulder.

Sara's computer beeped loudly, interrupting their conversation.

"Results?" Nick asked intrigued.

"I wish…all I've got today are errors. I'm trying to figure out something more from these photos but _he_ isn't cooperating!" She said and angrily pressed the button.

"Careful or you'll break it." A joyful voice coming from the doorway made Sara and Nick both look around.

"This one is Sara-proof." Sara grinned in response to Lindsay's statement.

"They actually made something so strong?" Nick asked smiling widely which earned him a punch on the arm from Sara.

"What are you doing here Linds? Cassie's alright?" She asked.

"I … think so…" Lindsay answered looking puzzled at Sara. "I just brought Fly. Cassie left it in the locker-room."

"What do you mean? She's not with you?" Sara stiffened on the chair, suddenly alerted.

"I thought you knew."

"Knew about what?" Sara nervously tucked the hair behind her ear, her hand shaking slightly.

"I was told that she is with Dr. Grissom. Hadn't he told you this? I was sure you knew."

"No." Sara answered shakily. "Grissom asked if he could pick her up tomorrow not today." She shook her head and moved her eyes from Lindsay to Nick and back. "Wait, you said you were told? You mean you haven't seen him?"

"No, the porter told me. He said…" Lindsay started to explain but before she managed to finish Sara stormed out of the room.

~*~  
Sara hoped she was wrong. Just once she wanted to be deceived by her instinct. But at the same time she was almost sure that Grissom simply couldn't pick up her daughter without asking for her permission. Lately he was very careful about everything concerning Cassie or Sara. Both of them knew how fragile the relationship between them was and Sara noticed that Gil was trying to keep it as good as possible. And ever since that 'book situation' he was asking for Sara's permission even if he was just buying Cassie something to eat or drink. No matter how much she wanted to believe it, it just wasn't possible that Cassie was with Grissom.

It didn't stop her from making her way to Gil's office nevertheless. Sara was hoping she had been wrong and Grissom, being extremely busy, just forgot to mention about his plans. She would rather have to yell at him and prove herself wrong than even think about other possibilities of what might have happened.

The corridor leading to Grissom's office never seemed so long. She was almost running yet for her it seemed that she wasn't getting any nearer to the destination. Sara was bumping into various lab techs, not paying enough attention to recognize them. A few called her name but she barely heard them, her mind focused on Cassie. Where was she if not with Lindsay? Was she safe? What if…?

Sara panted and her heart ached painfully. She reached Gil's office exhausted and terrified. Her mouth went dry making every attempt of swallowing painful. She could hardly breathe.

She opened the door without knocking and immediately was greeted by surprised and somehow annoyed looks from Grissom and Catherine. Distracted from the files they were working on they turned to Sara. Catherine gasped at the sight of Sara's frightened expression.

"Tell me she's with you." Sara said to Grissom pleadingly, desperately trying to regain control over her uneven breathing.

"Excuse me?"

"Did you pick up Cassie? Did you do that without letting me know?"

"No Sara. I wouldn't…" Grissom shook his head and frowned finally noticing how much Sara's hands were shaking and how pale her face became. "Sara?"

"Oh my God…" she whispered under her breath, swallowing down bitter tears.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked but Sara was already striding out of the office, noisily slamming the doors behind her. She didn't hear neither Catherine's question nor Grissom calling her name again.

~*~  
_Oh God, please, let her be safe. She's my whole life. I can't lose her._

_Where is she? What is going on?_

_What should I do?_

Sara was confused. Thousands thoughts were streaming through her mind with a speed of light. It was impossible to focus on any for a bit longer except the one: Cassie was missing. And Sara had no idea what to do.

_Damn it, Sidle, you had been a CSI. You had been advising people in situations like that._

_Focus._

_Think!_

She was reprimanding herself while trying to find her way between people gathered in the corridor. Her noisy exit from Grissom's office alerted half of the lab and curiosity brought them out of the rooms. Now they were staring and whispering between themselves. Sara couldn't care less.

_A child is missing, what to do? Call the police? It's not even 72 hours since she's gone! They won't do anything._

She bumped into someone for the tenth time and muttered incoherent 'sorry' under her breath.

_Does 72 hours applies for kids too? Why I can't focus? _

_I can't wait that long._

_Cassie, I should have never brought you to this city!_

_Brass!_ The sudden thought appeared in her mind and she started to run in the direction of his office. A small light of hope appeared in her heart. _Jim will know what to do. He will find Cassie, he must…_

By the time she reached Jim's office her muscles were so painfully exhausted that every step felt like an electric shock. Her lungs were on fire, demanding more oxygen then her breaths could provide. But that didn't stop her, not even for a single moment. She nearly crashed into the office's doors.

Locked.

"Captain Brass is in the field," some young policeman, sitting behind a desk at the other side of the corridor, explained, "can I help you?"

Sara was hardly listening to him. After first words she took out her cell phone and dialed Jim's number.

One signal…

Two…

Three… more…

Nothing. No answer. She shut the phone angrily.

_Now what? God, please help…_

Her heart was pounding violently and unevenly. She could hardly catch another breath and her hands were shaking so intensely she dropped her phone.

"Miss, are you all right?" She barely heard the young officer's voice or noticed him walking towards her. "Miss?"

Sara leaned on the wall, feeling that her legs might give up any moment. Dark spots were dancing before her eyes. She must have been weeping as she could feel a cold, wet trails on her cheeks. Sliding down she sat on the floor, burying her face in her palms.

_Where is my daughter?_


	9. An Amber Alert

**A/N: **Thanks for all your comments. I really, really appreciate them :*

Warmest hugs for Anaknusan :*

**Chapter 9 – An Amber Alert**

"Sara?"

She wasn't aware that someone was talking to her until she was gently shaken and her name repeated several times.

"Sara, honey, are you all right?" Someone knelt next to her and delicately removed her hands from her face. A warm palm placed on Sara's cheek firmly but gently forced her to look up. As her eyes met blue ones, the very same that Cassie inherited, her body reacted with another sharp pain in her heart.

"Cassie…" Sara whispered unconsciously.

"Honey, tell me what's wrong." Grissom asked soothingly, reaching for Sara's hand and rubbing it caringly. "Where is Cassie?"

"I…I…don't…know…" she whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "I don't know." She repeated, hiding her face in hands again. Grissom's hand, entangled with hers, now gently caressed her cheek.

"What do you mean?" Sara heard Catherine's concerned voice. "She was with Linds when I left for work."

But before Sara answered another voice interrupted them.

"Mom…" Catherine turned swiftly to see her daughter striding down the corridor, accompanied by Nick, both with anxiety visible in their eyes.

"Lindsay? What are you doing here? What's going on?"

"Mom, I'm sorry." Lindsay started to explain. "The porter told me she's with Dr. Grissom. I didn't know something was wrong…I'm sorry…" she stammered.

"I wasn't suppose to pick her up until tomorrow." Grissom whispered under his breath, his face slowly getting pale.

"Someone must have taken her…" Sara breathed out, her eyes glistening with tears. "I don't know what to do…I don't…"

"Firstly calm down." Grissom asked gently. "You too Lindsay." He added turning to her. "We need to hear everything from the beginning. With all the details you can give us."

Lindsay nodded.

"And I think we should gather the team. If it's a kidnapping we should act as fast as we can."

"I'm on it." Catherine nodded. "We'll meet you in the layout room." She embraced her daughter as she led her down the corridor.

"Nick could you call this porter? Get what you can from him."

"I already did." Nick answered. "The guy told me it might have happened during previous shift 'cos he just started his. He gave me the home address of that shift. I'm going there. And I'll try to get some videos. There's no surveillance in the school building but we may get something from the shop across the street."

"Good job, Nick," Grissom praised him, "come back as soon as you can."

Nick nodded and knelt next to Sara.

"It's going to be fine, Sar. We'll find her," he caressed her arm gently, "don't worry."

"I think you should listen to him." Grissom whispered gently when younger CSI left. "We'll do everything we can."

"But you can't promise you'll find her or that she'll be all right, can you? Nick did, but I know those were just empty words, he told that to calm me down, didn't he?" She raised her watery eyes to him.

"No, I can't promise you that," Grissom admitted sadly. "But I _can_ promise that I will do everything in my power to find her. From now on there is no other case in Vegas for me."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head and smiled through tears. "I shouldn't have said that. I should be more sensible. After all I was a CSI too. Long ago, but I should still remember that…"

"Honey, no one expects you to be a CSI now." Grissom interrupted before she finished the sentence. "You're just acting like a mother because you are one." He smiled at her. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

Sara sent him a weak smile and eagerly accepted his outstretched arm as a support in getting up from the floor. She had noticed that he was calling her 'honey' but right now it didn't bother her. In this situation it actually helped. She didn't feel alone. She knew that whatever happens Gil would be there. She knew he cared. And she needed that. She needed him and his protectiveness. Still she had a feeling that his comforting words and gentle touches would have their price in the future. That as soon as she was gone from Vegas the pain would come back and she would have to fight with her feelings again, but she chose not to think about that right now. She wanted to focus only on Cassie.

Sara sighed quietly and leaned into his warm embrace, resting her head on his chest.

"I need her back," she whispered, "she's all I have, my whole life. I love her so much, I can't lose her…"

"I know, honey." Grissom delicately rubbed her back. She seemed so fragile hidden in his arms. He didn't remember seeing her in such a state ever before. "Neither can I…" he whispered to himself ever so quietly. Only when Sara looked up at him he understood she must have heard his words. He was ready to say something in his defense, after all, he agreed to accept that Cassie isn't special for him, but he noticed that there was no anger in Sara's eyes. He saw sadness and hope, understanding and some faded, distant memories of their lost love. He wondered how many of these feelings Sara could read in his own eyes. "We have to go, the others are waiting." He said without letting her go.

Sara nodded and looked down at the floor. The phone she had dropped was still lying there along with a yellow folder with some case files. She guessed Grissom must have dropped them when he came running. She kneeled down to pick the scattered things, freezing in the middle of process when one of the pictures fell out of the folder. Very slowly she lifted it closer to her eyes and stood up.

"Whose car is this?" She breathed out, her eyes focused on the photograph of this weirdly painted orange car she had seen before Lindsay's dance school this afternoon.

"Sean Allen's. A guy I put in prison." Grissom explained, with a shrug.

"Is he still there?"

"No. He has just been released." He shook his head and furrowed. "Sara why are you asking this? Is something wrong?"

"What was he convicted for?" Sara asked ignoring his question, her voice trembling.

"Honey what's wrong?" Grissom repeated confused and embraced Sara again. "My God, you're shaking like a leaf. What's going on?"

"I've seen this car." She pointed at the picture she was holding. "Today, when I drove Cassie to school and before that too. I thought at first I've seen only very similar cars, I mean I wasn't paying much attention to them. But seeing this picture now…I think it was the same one." She explained, words coming out of her with the speed of a rocket.

"You think you have been watched?"

"I don't know but the other place where I've seen this car was outside the lab. Not just once. And now you're telling me the guy is out of prison. What if it's not a coincidence?" Sara's voice faltered. "It might have something to do with Cassie missing. Tell me who he is." She pleaded.

Grissom exhaled heavily. "We don't know yet it was him…" he said calmly.

"Why are you avoiding answering, Griss?" Sara looked into his eyes, tightly clutching at the sleeve of his shirt.

"I just don't think it's…crucial… to know that." He whispered evasively.

"I think he has my daughter so it, actually, is vital!"

"Sara…"

"Please, I need to know."

"Honey,…" he sighed, giving up, and pulled Sara closer to himself, "this guy…was convicted for molesting children. He's a pedophile."

Sara whimpered in his arms but said nothing. Her head fell heavily on his chest. Grissom felt her trembling more than before and gently kissed the top of her head. He wanted so much to somehow ease her pain, to say something that would relieve her suffering but he found no appropriate words. If Sara was right, then her daughter, no, _their_ daughter was in a danger greater than he had imagined. Suddenly he felt so helpless. The only thing keeping him strong was the thought that he must do this for Sara, that he must stay strong and rational for her while she couldn't.

~*~  
When they reached the layout room the whole team, with the exception of Nick, was already gathered. Lindsay was sitting in the corner with her eyes cast down.

Catherine must have already filled them in because they were all watching in silence as she was putting some notes on the board. Each of them had either grave or gloomy expressions.

Grissom noticed that Sara hardly raised her eyes from the floor while making her way into the room, allowing him to guide her to the couch. He shook his head when Greg made an attempt to get up and say something to her. By his side Sara was still trembling and by his judgment she was on the edge of bursting into tears again. He wanted to give her some time to calm down.

Sara sat on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest and embracing them. She noticed her daughter's favorite toy, which Lindsay had brought, laying now next to her. She reached for it and hugged it tightly, burying her face in its soft material. It smelled of Cassie and it cost Sara a lot of strength not to start screaming with an inside pain that now grew stronger.

"Ok." Grissom turned to the team, choosing to sit on an arm of the sofa so as to be as close to Sara as possible. He knew her well enough to understand that she was in a state that made her extremely vulnerable to almost everything. A picture, a word or a sound might cause another panic attack. He could see it in her posture, her body curled tight, shaking and her eyes as empty as they had never been before. It was breaking his heart – seeing her in such a condition and not being able to take the pain away from her. All he could do was to be there for her. Be her support, hold her hand when she needed that, dry her tears and do everything to find their little girl. "Let's sum up what we have." He sighed.

"A missing six year old girl." Warrick started the introduction, looking at notes and photos that Catherine had pinned. "Last seen in the dance school, around seven."

"Right now all we were able to find suggests that she was kidnapped. We don't know by whom or what the motive was yet, but the name 'Grissom' was used to get her out of the school."

"So someone just pretended to be Grissom or took a step further and forged an ID? Cos' if it was a forgery we might be able to track it." Greg wondered aloud.

"I don't think it happened like that." Lindsay suddenly interrupted. "Oh, I'm sorry, may I say something?" She asked uncertainly, seeing the surprised expressions on their faces.

"Of course."

"I wanted to say that Dr. Grissom had picked up Cassie several times before. In person. The porter saw him and, I dare to say, remembered him. If some other guy came and said he was Dr. Grissom it would be just … weird. And if not the porter than Cassie for sure would have noticed something is wrong."

"OK, so what's the other explanation?" Warrick shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it's an assumption but maybe the kidnapper just told he's picking her up _for_ Grissom." Catherine guessed.

"And what? The porter just allowed that?" Greg smirked but stopped immediately hearing Sara's quiet whimper.

"Let's just not focus on 'how' right now." Grissom shook his head. "Nick's bringing the tape. It may show us something. Right now we should rather think about 'who' and 'why'."

"But we don't know that. We have nothing to start with."

"Actually we do." Grissom stood up and pinned the picture of a car to the board. Adding a police photo of the owner next to it. "Sara said she had seen this car right before Cassie's abduction," he explained getting back to his seat next to Sara.

"I've seen it too!" Both Lindsay and Greg exclaimed. "It sat just outside the lab for the few days in a row." Greg added.

"You can't be serious! Him?" Catherine's eyes widened as she recognized the suspect as the one she was talking about with Grissom earlier that night. "Greg, dial Jim's number again!" She ordered nervously.

"Cath, we've been calling him every five minutes anyway." Warrick stared at her confused. "He's still not answering."

"So now do it once every two minutes. We need Jim as soon as possible."

Greg obeyed but there was still no answer. He left another message on the voice mail.

"Who is this guy?" He asked pointing at the picture. "Judging by Cath's reaction he must be dangerous…"

"It's Sean Allen," Grissom answered, "I put him in prison and a week ago he was released." He reached for Sara's hand and rubbed it caringly. "The problem is that he's a convicted sex offender."

"You mean a pedophile?" Warrick asked shocked. "That…" he found no proper words to say and just sighed. He took out his cell phone and dialed Jim's number again even though he knew it wasn't even a minute since Greg had done it.

"We can assume he's been observing both the lab and school and Cassie is not a randomly chosen victim. But why her anyway? Does Sean have any connection to Sara?" Greg wondered.

"I can't think of any. I led his case on my own," Grissom shrugged. "But obviously Sara was working here at that time."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"What if he wasn't observing me?" Sara asked quietly, raising her head to look at Grissom. "What if it is about you?"

"A revenge for catching him? Possible, but why _your_ daughter?" Warrick asked.

"Because Griss were taking care of her." Sara whispered with a trembling voice. "He was picking her up, taking her to the lab…"

"He saw Grissom with a child and assumed it was his."

"We should do this guy's background check." Greg suggested.

"I'd rather wait for the surveillance tape first. We're still only speculating." Grissom frowned, his eyebrows drawing down. "We need to have something more to take some actions."

~*~  
Not even half an hour since he had left Nick was back with the tape. He burst into the layout room, gasping for air.

"Got it!" He announced, showing them the tape in his raised hand and quickly putting it inside the VCR. "There were two guys dressed as policemen." He added taking a place at the table with a remote controller in his hand. "The porter gave me only a brief description, but the tape shows everything we need." He pushed the play button and showed them the footage, pausing at every moment he considered important and adding what he noticed or heard from the porter. "This car had arrived at the school thirty minutes before Sara did. I didn't have the chance to check whom it belongs to."

"We do know that, Sara remembered seeing it." Grissom said not moving his eyes from the TV screen. "Do we get to see the suspect faces?"

"Yes. They weren't really trying to hide themselves or anything. The porter said he remembers the two cops. They have proper IDs and everything so he had no reason not to trust them. They claimed you send them to pick up Cassie. They even had some official looking papers with your signature." Nick paused the tape and zoomed in so the face of one of the policemen took up the whole screen.

"There is no doubt now, this definitely is Sean." Catherine said comparing face on the screen with a Sean's photography on the board.

"Who's Sean?" Nick asked, puzzled.

"We'll explain but I want to finish watching this first." Grissom said.

Nick nodded and they watched as the suspects entered the building. After few minutes they appeared on the screen again, this time with Cassie between them. Grissom felt Sara trembling and panting quietly. When he looked at her he saw a single tear rolling down her cheek. As the others were still gazing at the screen he gently brushed her cheek with his thumb. Sara eagerly leaned into his touch.

"From what I've heard from the porter they promised Cassie they'd take her to her parents." Nick continued. "And she trusted them."

"I told her to trust the police…" Sara admitted ever so quietly.

"Sar, you taught her well." Nick turned to her. "Look, the moment she noticed to what car they've been leading her to she tries to escape. She knew that police doesn't drive an orange vintage convertible. She's smart, she noticed something was wrong, she just wasn't strong enough to escape from two grown up men, no child could." Nick stopped the tape when the car drove away.

"So what now?"

"Kidnappers had police uniforms. We should try to find out whether they were stolen, custom made, rented or anything else that goes into your mind. Same goes with IDs." Grissom ordered.

"I'll take care of that." Nick offered.

"Let Catherine fill you in. And after that, Catherine, I would like you to gather everything about Sean Allen that you can. Some information will be in the files we've been through today but I want to know what was happening with him since he was put in jail – whom he was meeting with, who his cellmates were, anything you can get. Maybe you'll find something about this other guy."

"I'll talk with his parole once more. He may know something." Catherine suggested.

"Warrick, you'll get his car. Check everything from speeding tickets to highway fares."

"You can count on me."

"What's left for me?" Greg asked.

"Connecting Sara's and my phone to the computer. From now one every incoming call must be registered and recorded."

"You think he will call?"

"We know it wasn't a random kidnapping. He wants something." Grissom stood up and handed him two cell phones.

"Ok. I'll ask Archie for help." Greg nodded. "And what about Ecklie?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, Griss, we all were assigned to this cop murder case." The young CSI explained a bit uncertainly. "It's just I don't think Ecklie would be happy to find out we're doing something else."

Grissom fist hit the table so suddenly that Greg instinctively stepped back to have a safe distance between him and his supervisor. The loud, unexpected sound alerted everybody in the room, most were gaping at Grissom openmouthed, shocked by his fierce reaction.

"My daughter had been kidnapped by some f*ing bastard and you are telling me that I should care more about the opinion of someone who is just sitting behind a desk?" He shouted. He was so angry that he didn't even noticed he was revealing something his team had no idea about. Now only Catherine wasn't staring at him shocked. She was the only one whose face was for a moment brightened up with a smile. "I don't care whether it takes! None of us goes home till my daughter is safe in Sara's arms!" He added angrily and closed his eyes afterwards. He breathed out softly and rubbed his temples. After few more calming breaths he spoke again, this time his words were calmer. "If you're asked, tell him it was by my and only my order and send Ecklie straight to me. You won't lose your job and if I'm to lose mine to find Cassie then so be it."

"What's this rattle? I could hear you from the parking lot." Brass asked, entering the room, which now went quiet. "So where's that fire? I have more than twenty unanswered messages and calls from all of you and now this?" He gestured at the people gathered in the room.

"They kidnapped Cassie," Sara whispered, her voice finally steady but still weak.

"What?!" Brass exclaimed. "Who?"

"Sean Allen," Grissom pointed at the board, showing Brass the notes and photos that were there.

"Didn't you put this guy in prison already?"

"He had been released and apparently was observing us."

"Is he seeking revenge? What does he want?"

"We don't know yet. He hasn't called."

"How much time has passed?"

"Three hours." Grissom heard Sara whimper quietly behind his back.

"Ok, the good news is that Cassie is still alive. If he didn't make a phone call he still needs her and he will need her till he gets what he wants." Brass nodded. "The bad news is that we're shorthanded because of the cop's case. But I'll still do what I can." He took out his walkie-talkie. "Attention all free units. This is Captain Brass, we have an Amber Alert. I repeat: an Amber Alert! A six-year-old girl had been kidnapped from outside the school on Lindell Road. Her name is Cassandra Sidle. Dark brown hair, blue eyes, 3ft 8in., 46lbs. Kidnapper is a well-known pedophile. He drives a vintage orange convertible, painted with rainbow stars. Photographs of the girl and the kidnapper and his car will be broadcasted. Report to me directly." He clipped the walkie-talkie back to his belt. "I can't do anything about the units assigned to the chief's son's case but I'll make sure that all the others are looking for Cassie."

"Thank you…" Sara whispered from her place at the couch. "All of you… Is…is there anything I can do?"

"You can trust us." Catherine smiled at her. "I know that doesn't seem like enough to you right now, but it would be best if you just stayed here. I've been in a situation like this, remember? Just be a mother not a CSI now. We have a good team." Catherine smiled. "They found my daughter, they will find yours."


	10. Nothing to hide

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long but here I finally give you next chapter :D

Thank you for all your comments :*

Special thanks for Anaknusan for her amazing beta reading job :* :*

**Chapter 10 – Nothing to hide**

Grissom splashed cold water on his face, wishing it would help him to wake up and gather his thoughts. Even though he'd been at work for no more than five hours he was already exhausted. Time was passing and there was still no news about Cassie or her kidnappers, even though the team was working hard. One good thing was that the Amber Alert was working and information about the girl was broadcasted into the media, which was giving hope that someone might have seen something and would call.

Sara, though much calmer now, was still heartsick and seeing her like that was breaking Grissom's heart. Also, the fact that some part of him was feeling responsible for what was happening wasn't making anything easier.

Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to fight the pressure building behind his eyes. With every passing hour his head felt heavier, what inevitably foretold an upcoming migraine. He reached to his pocket and took out the bottle of prescription drugs, hoping they would ease the uncomfortable feeling.

He sighed and made his way back to the layout room, stopping to get two cups of coffee. He figured they both needed the caffeine as there was still a long night ahead of them.

"But why the hell didn't they tell us anything?" Nick's raised voice coming from behind a corner made Grissom stop suddenly. "They're having a child and what? They're hiding the fact from us? Why? Did you know about it?"

"No Nicky," Catherine answered calmly, "I wasn't told either, but, you know, it was pretty obvious from the moment I saw Cassie." She added and Grissom guessed she must have been smiling.

He disapproved eavesdropping but the conversation topic was simply too interesting and significant to ignore. The overheard conversation got his full attention and he froze, leaning on the wall, trying to breathe as quiet as possible in order not to reveal his presence.

"Obvious?"

"Even if Cassie hadn't inherited her eyes and personality from Gil it would be apparent that she is his daughter. Can you imagine Sara having a child with anyone else?"

"Cath, I could hardly imagine her having a child at all." Nick laughed. "But, yeah, you're right. She never loved anyone as much as him. It's just I still don't understand why he never mentioned being a father, not even when Sara came back."

"I don't think he knew."

"What?!"

"Nick, he was as much surprised to see Sara's daughter as we were. I don't think she ever told him she was pregnant."

A loud sound, which Grissom guessed must have been made by Nick's fist hitting the wall, made him almost drop his coffee cups and deafened Nick's next word. Grissom deduced it was a curse as he heard Catherine harshly and indignantly whispering Nick's name.

"I can't calm down, Cath," Nick admitted angrily, "I wanted to hurt a bastard that left Sara and I was right, I should do that!"

"Nick, he didn't know and he is still your supervisor." Catherine reminded him calmly.

"And Sara is still my little sis!" Nick riposted. "Don't you see it Catherine? HE…" Nick emphasized 'he' in a way that made a chill crawl down Grissom's spine, "…he must have done something so wrong, hurt Sara so much that she didn't even tell him she was expecting _his_ child." Grissom felt as if an iron fist clenched around his heart. He cast down his eyes and sighed quietly. Nick's words really touched him, it hurt to hear them. It hurt to hear the truth. He really was a bastard. He hurt the only person he truly loved. He had chosen work above her, afraid of taking the risk. He let her go because he was a coward.

"They have their own ways. We don't know what really happened. And I don't think that this is important now. Their daughter is missing and investigating why they didn't tell us about her before or what really happened between them is not only not our business but it also won't help to find her." Catherine explained calmly and for a moment, silence fell between the two CSIs. "Do you actually want to stand here cursing Grissom," she continued, "or would you rather help to find Cassie and stop the pain Sara is going through?"

"Sorry, you're right." Nick admitted quietly. "Let's find Cassie. Let's do it for Sara."

Grissom quickly turned around and quietly walked away before his presence became known. The last thing he wanted was to be caught eavesdropping by an angry Nick.

~*~  
It took him more time than usual to reach the layout room, mostly because he had chosen the longer way to avoid meeting Nick or Catherine. He was sure that right now he wouldn't be able to hide he had overheard their conversation.

To his relief neither Nick nor Catherine returned to the layout room. Only two people were there – Greg, working on a computer, with two cell phones laying next to him, and Sara, who was nervously pacing up and down. When Grissom walked into the room she looked at him briefly without stopping her nervous walk.

"If you came to send me home don't even try." She said warningly.

"Sara…"

"Griss," she interrupted not allowing him to even start the sentence, "I can't go home and just wait for the news."

"Sara…"

"And I'm not tired. I don't need rest." She added still ignoring what he wanted to say.

"Sara, would you please listen to me!" Grissom said in a raised voice that finally attracted Sara's attention. "I'm not sending you anywhere." He said gently, smiling. "I know you. Even if I tried, you wouldn't listen." He moved closer to Sara, standing in her way so that she was forced to stop in front of him. "I just brought us coffee." His smile widened a bit when he handed her a cup.

"Thanks." Sara answered embarrassed and took a sip, closing her eyes for a moment. "Sorry, I'm kind of tense today."

"Honey, I've already told you," Grissom said softly and placed a hand on the small of Sara's back. He led her to the couch, taking a seat next to her. "You have a right to be touchy. You're a mother."

Sara cast her eyes down, investigating the contents of her cup. After remaining quiet for a couple of minutes she suddenly asked: "You've never believed it, have you? That Cassie isn't yours."

"No, not really." He admitted quietly. "Even though she is your spitting image, not mine. But I think I know why you have told me something different. Why you didn't allow me to be a father." He sighed and reached for Sara's hand. "I'm sorry I haven't realized before how much I was hurting you."

"It's a little more complicated then you think…" Sara whispered, her voice barely heard even in the quietness of the room.

Grissom looked at her intrigued, arching his eyebrow, but before he managed to ask what she meant an electronic sound coming from the computer caught their attention.

"Grissom it's your phone." Greg said, pushing few buttons on a keyboard. "The number is restricted but I think it's him."

"Let me talk to him." Sara demanded, gripping Grissom's arm tightly, her hand shaking slightly.

"I don't think it is a good idea."

"Griss, I know I am…let's say - not in my best shape today," she smiled weakly, "but if you try to get her on the phone, and I know you will," Grissom nodded, confirming what Sara said, "she won't call you 'dad'. And if they believe that the girl they have is not your daughter…"

"They won't need her anymore…" Grissom finished for her quietly, considering in his head what Sara just mentioned. If he talked with Cassie it would be risky. She would call him 'uncle' and if the kidnappers believed that, she wouldn't be a crucial element in their plan anymore and they might want to get rid of her. Grissom didn't know what the kidnappers might be capable of. "All right," he agreed, "but this time you'll have to act more as CSI than as a mother." He led Sara to the table where Greg was sitting. "Greg, go tell Archie to do everything to track this call and inform the others."

The young CSI nodded and left the room. Sara raised her head and looked at Grissom, her eyes dark with fear. She nervously moved a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"I know you can do it, Sara." He whispered in Sara's ear. He moved to stand closer to her, putting his hand protectively on the small of her back, before he pushed the answer button. "I'm right behind you."

~*~  
"Sidle." Sara answered the phone, keeping her voice as calm and strong as possible.

"Oh, hello mommy." A harsh male voice laughed, sending shivers down Sara's spine. Grissom recognized it as Sean's voice. "I was expecting a concerned daddy."

"He's busy," she answered dryly, "he's hunting you down."

"He doesn't have a chance, mommy." Sean laughed again. "You will do exactly as you are told. Don't forget I have your precious kid."

"I want to talk to her." Sara demanded, her heart racing in her chest. Unconsciously she reached for Grissom's hand and entangled it with hers.

"First my demands!"

"There won't be any demands…" Sara swallowed heavily, reminding herself to stay calm, to act like any CSI would, "…till I'm sure she's all right."

"I am the one calling the shots here."

Sara closed her eyes and exhaled. "If you are in charge then you should know that without proof that she's all right we won't do anything." She said quietly, squeezing Gil's hand in hers. She had to clench her teeth tightly to stifle a scream.

She heard some muffled voices at the other end of the line and she guessed that the kidnapper must be covering the speaker. The next sounds came muffled but she definitely heard the second voice. The tone of the voices suggested an argument. The last sentence she heard more clearly: "Bring the kid."

"Sara," Grissom whispered in her ear, "just be strong and stay calm. For Cassie. They mustn't know how much you care."

In the same moment they heard their daughter's voice weakly through the speaker: "Ouch… that hurts…" Sara stiffened for a moment before quietly sighing with relief that her daughter was alive.

"Cassie?"

"Mommy? I want to go home…" the little girl said through sobs, "I didn't want to go with them."

"I know Butterfly," Sara said softly using almost all her strength to hide how terrified and nervous she really was. "It's going to be fine, honey. Can you hear that? We'll going to bring you home."

"Mommy…" Cassie cried.

"Honey, listen to me,…" Sara hardly swallowed down a gulp in her throat, squeezing Grissom's hand so hard that her nails were digging into his skin, though neither of them seemed to notice that. "I know it's hard but I need to you to be brave for a little more, ok? Can you do this for me?"

"…yes…" Cassie answered hesitantly between the sobs.

"Cassie, everything is going to be all right." Sara reassured once more.

"Enough." Sean said flatly, his words followed by a loud noise, then Cassie's screams and one of the kidnappers' shrieks of pain.

"That little b*tch bit me." Sara heard quiet voice in the background. "I'm going to teach her good manners!"

Sara's heart pounded painfully against her ribs. Her body was trembling. She tried to scream her daughter's name but strong arms turned her around and embraced tightly. Her voice came muffled by someone's chest. It took her a moment to understand that it must have been Grissom who embraced her. She calmed herself down in his arms, but decided not to look around. She felt him kissing the top of her head and then someone else's arms embraced her. She stiffened for a moment, not recalling the fact that someone joined them in the layout room. But after all she was mainly focusing on the phone call so she might have not noticed that.

"Don't even try to touch my daughter." Sara heard Grissom's calm and demanding voice.

"Oh, so we have our daddy after all…" the voice from the speaker laughed.

"Apparently you wished to speak to me." Grissom answered dryly. "Just say what you want!"

"I want what we all want – justice."

"Didn't you get that last time we met?"

"I see you're being sarcastic Gilbert." Sean smirked. "I don't think it will help your precious child."

"Then maybe tell me what will."

"You know, I never forgot you put me in jail." The kidnapper said. "Surprisingly I'm even quite grateful. Thanks to that I made some great friends."

"Let me guess," Grissom interrupted, "you already miss them?"

"Something like that." Sean laughed dryly. "The thing is, Gilbert, that what they miss is the daylight. I think it will be just if they could join me in enjoying it. I want them to be freed in the next 24 hours, daddy, or you will have to say 'goodbye' to your kid."

"Touch her and you'll be the one never seeing daylight again." Grissom said fiercely.

"Right now I'm the one threatening, not you." Sean snapped. "By the way, your daughter is … very beautiful…" he added, laughing menacingly again.

Grissom heard Sara whimper behind him, embraced tightly by Nick's arms. He exhaled heavily and rubbed his temple.

"Give me names." He said quietly to the microphone.

"I've already sent them on your email, Gilbert. Along with other information. You've got 24 hours!" The kidnapper said shortly and disconnected.

Sara shifted in Nick's arms to face Grissom, noticing that apart from them only Nick and Greg were present in the room, her eyes were red and teary.

"What now?" She asked quietly.

"Greg take this recording to Archie," Grissom ordered, bending over the computer and logging into his mailbox, "check if he was able to trace it and then analyze all sounds from the background."

"Nick, there are some names in this email," he said handing Nick a small USB stick, "give them to Catherine, she's already working on Sean's cellmates. Help her. I want to know who they are and what they were convicted for. And if you can, check where this email was sent from."

"Sure boss. Don't worry Sar, we're going to find him." Nick nodded and after hugging Sara again he left the room with Greg by his side.

"Are you ok?" Grissom asked softly, placing his hands on Sara's arms and drawing her closer to himself.

"I can't take it anymore Gil…" Sara leaned her head on his chest, allowing him to embrace her once more. "She must be so scared and I can't do anything…"

"Honey, you told Cassie she must be brave, I think it's what you should do too." He said and releasing her from his embrace he took her hand and led her back to the couch. "Sara, you're not alone, we'll go through it together."

Sara nodded. For long moment they just sat in silence, interrupted only by Greg, coming to tell them that the kidnappers used some anti-tracking device and Archie wasn't able to catch the signal but they were working on the background noises.

"Gil…I must tell you that I didn't lie…" Sara said suddenly, making Grissom look at her astonished. "In the goodbye letter." She explained. Before the phone call they had started a conversation about Cassie and Sara felt she owed Grissom a longer explanation. Though he was still looking at her with raised eyebrows he said nothing, eager to hear what she wanted to say.

"All I had written was true." She continued quietly, casting her eyes down. "I didn't leave because I was pregnant, it was just a trigger, it advanced everything but eventually I would have left anyway. But… maybe I should start from the beginning?" She smiled weakly in answer to Grissom's nod.

"You know, after being trapped under that car I couldn't really find a meaning in anything I was doing. As if I lost myself in the desert. I was doing everything kind of automatically only because things needed to be done. There were moments I wasn't even sure what I was doing.

"It was the same with work. I saw no sense anymore in catching the bad guys. Why bother if when one was caught two others took his place.

"It was getting worse and worse. Especially when I was assigned to home violence cases. I was seeing my mother and myself in the eyes of those beaten women all the time. And then there was the Amy case. I did everything to help and I didn't manage to. It broke me. It made me hate my job.

"I tried to fight with it, because I knew that if I didn't, I would have to go or I would self-destruct. It lasted for a month, maybe two, but I didn't get any better and the thought of leaving was returning to me over and over again.

"Moreover my physical condition also got worse. I couldn't keep any food down, I had trouble sleeping, I was quickly getting dizzy or was almost fainting. But you know me, I ignored it. I got worried only when I realized that for the last two months I hadn't gotten my period. It still took me another two weeks to let the thought into my mind that it might be something else than simple stress. I bought a pregnancy test, when it came positive I bought another one and another…and then I smashed half of my tableware." Sara smiled. "I was so confused, so lost, I could hardly breathe or think. I was beginning to understand that I needed to make few crucial decisions and that in this city I wouldn't be able to do. I understood I needed to leave and fight with what was hunting me and only then, with a clear head make a decision about a baby growing inside me." Sara raised her head and shyly looked at Grissom. "You are asking yourself why I didn't tell you anything then, aren't you?" She asked quietly.

"I'm asking myself why I lost your trust?" He answered with a question, even quieter then Sara.

"It's not because of lack of trust in you that I didn't tell you," she answered moving closer to him and taking his hand in hers, "it was because I couldn't trust myself."

"I'm afraid I don't understand…"

Sara sighed with a gentle smile. "You see, all my life someone else was making decisions for me. Since my father died _they_ were choosing were am I to live, how long, what should I be wearing and doing. I felt as if I were living someone else's life and I promised myself that as soon as I was capable of living on my own every decision I made would be mine and only mine. And this finally allowed me to regain control over my own life." She exhaled softly and looked deep into Grissom's blue eyes. "Please don't hate me for that, but I really needed to do it on my own. I knew that if I told you it would somehow affect my judgment. I was aware that what I was doing was selfish but I needed to be sure that whatever decision I was making it was truly what _I_ wanted and needed."

"And because you couldn't make the decision in Vegas you left." Grissom continued for her and she nodded. "But why did you do it without a single word? Why did you leave me with just a letter?"

"Because I knew that when I heard your voice I wouldn't be able to go." She admitted casting her eyes down again and moving away from Grissom. "And besides my leaving was actually quite unexpected. I mean, I knew I was leaving, but I didn't know when. It changed when I went to my doctor and he said, with that irritating smile, that I was 15 weeks pregnant and if I was lucky I would be showing soon." Sara grinned, "I think I yelled at him…and at the nurse…without any reason." Grissom grinned too imagining what that might have looked like. "But after that visit I knew that if I was to go then it was the right time to do so. I went home and packed, I wrote you a letter and then I went to work, one last time. What happened with Marlon and Hannah that day only confirmed that my decision was right. I couldn't work anymore. When my shift ended I went to find you and kissed you goodbye, not caring if anyone was watching." She stopped to take a deep breath and continued, though her voice was now hardly louder than a whisper. "Gil, I never wanted to leave _you_, I wanted to leave the city, my past, my problems. At the beginning I thought I was leaving only for some time but with the passing days I understood that I couldn't live in Vegas without falling apart."

"First you went to visit you mother, right?" Grissom asked after few minutes of silence, encouraging Sara to continue her story.

"Yes. Going there wasn't easy but I had to do that to outfight the ghost I've been living with. I really don't know how many days or weeks I spent with my mother. I remember we spent long hours talking, till at some point I felt peaceful in some way. I understood that I don't have to live in the shadows of my past, that I'm not bound to the fate of my parents. It was just a beginning of a long and tough road but right then, for the first time in my life when I went to a park I didn't see a girl covering her bruised arms under long sleeves of her jacket but a normal, happy teenage girl. I felt as if colors returned to my life. It still took me a few months to believe that I can give my daughter a normal life and a loving family but in that park I made a decision – I wanted to have a child, your child." Sara smiled and her eyes filled with tears. Grissom watched as one rolled down, leaving a wet trail on her cheek. He carefully placed his palm on her cheek and delicately brushed it away.

"Honey, why didn't you told me then. You know I would have…"

"Come?" Sara cut in. "Marry me?"

"I don't know. Probably…"

"That's exactly why I decided not to tell you."

Grissom looked as Sara questioningly, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Listen, I wanted you to come and join me," she continued her explanation, "but I wanted you to do it for the right reasons. I wanted you to come because of me and for me, not because of feeling remorse that one night we forgot to use a protection. A child shouldn't be a reason to stay together." She whispered. "That's why I didn't tell you then. That's why in every phone conversation we had I was telling you that I couldn't come back, that I missed you and loved you, that I always would. I really wanted you to be with me, with us, share our life. But you kept saying that without both of us the lab would be shorthanded, that you needed to finish a case and even when you finished one there was always another waiting. Your work was more important and you didn't want to take the risk of dropping it.

"Still I was hopeful for long months. It broke my heart when one day I understood that all your hesitation was actually making a decision. You decided to let me go. You couldn't take the next step and resigned from life with me. You can't deny it."

"No, unfortunately I can't." Grissom agreed quietly. "I wish I done differently, though. I wish for once I hadn't thought so much about doing something but simply done it. I think I should have followed my feelings then." He wondered. By the tone of his voice Sara guessed he was thinking aloud. "So I guess Nick was right…"

"Nick?" Sara interrupted astonished. "And what he has to do with this?"

"Huh?" Grissom murmured as if he suddenly noticed he wasn't alone in the room. "I'm sorry honey, I got lost in my thoughts."

"I noticed." She smiled. "You said Nick was right. About what?"

"I did?" He raised his eyebrows. "That's nothing important."

"Yeah, right," Sara smirked, "I can see it is important. Did he say something to you?"

"Well, not exactly." Grissom admitted with a sigh. "I only overheard him talking with Catherine about you and me."

"And?" Sara shifted on the couch.

"He said that if you decided not to tell me about my own child then I must have done something very wrong. And I am beginning to think he's right."

"Griss,…"

"No, Sara, listen. I left you when you needed me. I didn't follow, too scared of what I might lose and never considering what I might get. I chose work over you even though I asked you to marry me earlier, even though Catherine was constantly pushing me to go after you. I thought as a scientist and chose what was safer."

"Blaming yourself won't get you anywhere. I've tried that." Sara shook her head, placing her hand over his again. "Nick is wrong, Griss, I didn't hide Cassie's existence to punish you."

"Excuse me…" Catherine cleared her throat from the other side of the room, attracting their attention. Grissom swiftly stood up, almost jumping from the couch, and she raised her eyebrows, feeling as if she had caught two teenagers snogging. "I checked those names Sean gave you." She explained, her voice bringing Sara and Grissom back to reality after reliving the past. "These guys weren't really popular behind the bars, I'm guessing they were staying together in one group to be stronger. They are all pedophiles." She said and handed Grissom some folders. Sara shivered slightly. "If you need to know more here are the files I could find. But it won't be easy to persuade any judge to free them."

"We have to…" Grissom shook his head violently.

"Would you calm down?" Catherine cut in. "I didn't say we're not going to try. Brass is already talking with one. He'll do what he can." She reassured. "Also I talked with Sean's parole officer. He recognized the other guy on the tape as Sean's best friend, Mark. He has no record so far."

"What about the phone call or the car?" Sara asked.

"Warrick checked Sean's tickets and all the others where this car is mentioned. The majority of them are from the southern Vegas, we can't narrow it any further and we can't be sure he has Cassie somewhere there. Archie is still working on the recording."

Sara automatically glanced at the watch.

"There is still time." Catherine answered her unasked question. "I'm checking all Sean's known addresses I got from the parole officer. Brass gave us a warrant for his and Mark's credit card records and Greg is taking care of those." She informed them. "We'll find something." She smiled and left the room.


	11. …found

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long (again). I have busy days lately…

Thank you for all your comments :* I'm so glad you like this story.

Kisses for Anaknusan for her amazing beta reading job :* :*

**Chapter 11 - …found**

"I brought you something." Nick said, entering the layout room, arching his eyebrows at the scene he saw. Sara was pacing up and down the room, glancing at the clock from time to time and apparently rechecking the hour on her own watch. Grissom, sitting at the table, was watching her with his own eyebrows raised, trying to read the case files at the same time. By Grissom's expression Nick guessed he had been trying to persuade Sara to stop this nervous walking but hadn't succeeded. "Sar, even watching you makes me seasick, could you, please, sit?" Nick asked carefully.

"No." She answered shortly. "It's been almost six hours since Brass had announced an Amber Alert. It's so long, too long…"

"I know, but checking the hour every thirty seconds won't make the time pass faster. Sit, I brought you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes, you are." Nick grinned and taking Sara's hand, despite her quiet protests, almost dragged her to the table. "Now, this is a veggie burger, especially for you," he added placing a takeout box in front of her and pushing another one to Grissom, "the other is for Grissom and it's with meat. Catherine ordered me to make sure that both of you ate all of it, so enjoy your meal."

"Thanks Nick." Grissom smiled, getting only a cold nod from the younger CSI in response. He guessed that it was probably only on Catherine's orders that he got food too. He noticed that Nick was still angry at him, no matter how hard he was trying to hide it.

"Nick…" Sara tried to protest again but Nick cut her off.

"Sar, fainting from exhaustion is not going to help Cassie. Please," he opened Sara's box, "eat this, or I'll feed you myself." He threatened with a grin.

Sara smiled despite herself and with a sigh took a bite out of her burger, Grissom, mirroring Sara's weak smile, followed her example. When the food touched Sara's tongue she felt how starving she really was, not having anything to eat since the breakfast she had had yesterday morning. Her stomach gave a rumble and she eagerly finished her meal.

"Do we have any progress?" Grissom asked, swallowing the last bite of his burger.

"Trying to find out something about their uniforms was a dead end." Nick explained. "They weren't rented or stolen, at least not in Vegas. And I wasn't able to check anything about kidnappers IDs because the porter doesn't remember what names were on them. We managed to get something from the phone call though. Archie noticed an echo in the background, he says it indicates that the place they've been calling from is empty and big."

"A warehouse?"

"Possibly, but it may also be a hall of some sort, an abandon building or a factory. We can mark them down on a map but even if we narrow down the search area only to southern Vegas…" he trailed of, shaking his head.

"…it's still too many." Grissom nodded sadly, finishing for him. His heart pounded achingly when he saw Sara's face losing color again. She stood up and started pacing again, biting her lower lip and tucking an non-existent wisp of hair behind her ear with a shaking hand.

"I'm going to Archie now. He finished processing the recording so he's free to help me getting the IP address of the network from the email that was sent to you." Nick explained, also watching Sara. "How is she?" He whispered, so only Grissom could hear him.

"Not so good, I'm afraid." Grissom answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. The painful, pulsating feeling in his head was still getting stronger and the pills weren't working. He sighed. "Nick, could you bring in here the Las Vegas map and print out all the addresses we have so far? Sean's, Mark's, the addresses of the guys Sean wants to be freed and the places where he got his tickets."

"Yeah, sure. What are you planning to do?"

"Cross-reference addresses with his car route and big, empty buildings in the area."

"That's impossible!" Nick said astonished. "That would give you nearly 100 places to compare."

"I am aware of this, but maybe if everything is put in a graphic form it will reveal some sort of a pattern. And it will give me something to do…"

"All right then, give me ten minutes."

~*~  
Almost two hours later the board in the layout room was entirely covered with Las Vegas map on which Sara and Grissom thoroughly placed colorful dots: green represented Sean's known addresses, blue addresses of his friend, Mark, purple Sean's cellmates, red the tickets he got after being released, orange the ones given when he was in prison – the team assumed that his car was then used by his friend, yellow dots represented the tickets he got in the year proceeding his imprisonment and finally the white dots marked all the other places connected to the case, like the lab, prison, dance school.

Grissom stuck the last dot on the map and stepped back to observe the result from a distance. Sara joined him after marking two last addresses from the sheet of paper she was holding.

Grissom was skeptical about allowing Sara to help him at first but it proved to be the best idea so far. Concentrating on the task distracted her from thinking about the worst-case scenario of Cassie's kidnapping over and over again and moreover they managed to finish the task a lot sooner than Grissom had expected.

"That is a lot of places." Sara sighed with a weak smile.

"Yeah…" Grissom murmured, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked at the map over the edge of his glasses, then at the sheets of paper he was holding and again at the map, his forehead creased. Finally he took off his glasses and put the tip of them between his teeth.

"What do you see?" Sara asked, recognizing the meaning behind Grissom's look.

"Look at the red dots. It says here that most of his tickets were for double parking, so either he was too lazy to search for a better parking spot or it was very important to park precisely there." Grissom explained. "I'd go for the second explanation. Some of the red dots are where the white ones also are. The lab, school, Catherine's place."

Sara squinted her eyes. "And yours too, Griss." She whispered pointing at the one of the red dots marking the street where Grissom lived. She added a white dot next to it.

"Sara, where are you staying?"

"Not so far from the lab," she moved to look at the part of the map showing the street where she had rented a flat, "…oh." She sighed, there already was a red dot there.

"So we know now that Sean was watching us. Unfortunately that doesn't give us any information about where he might be now. There are no more red dots on the map." Grissom sighed, massaging his temple.

"Are any of the other dots near warehouses or other big buildings?"

"No. I checked that twice."

"So did we just waste two hours? We don't have anything new."

"Now we don't, but remember that others are still working and they may find something that could change our view if added to what we already marked on the map."

Sara sighed heavily and sat on the nearest chair.

"She's somewhere out there, Griss," she whispered with her eyes studying the map, "scared, tired…I can't just sit here waiting for nothing!"

Grissom looked at her sympathetically. He had hardly ever seen her so fragile, so vulnerable. She was always the strong one. She was always there for him. Simply being by his side or helping whenever he had a hard case even if it meant staying overtime. And she knew how to ease the pain of his migraines without using pills. And now? Now she was broken. Now she needed his help. He put away his glasses and files and knelt beside her, covering her hands with his.

"I know, honey, I know…" he whispered calmingly, "but we can't search every empty building in the city. We need something more and we _will_ find it."

~*~  
"Wow, a forensic connect-the-dots game. My favorite…" Jim sniggered joining Sara and Grissom at the table. "What am I supposed to see here?"

"Anything would be good actually," Grissom said coldly, "we've been staring at this map for two hours and all we know is that Sean had been watching us and that he spent most of the time in southern Vegas."

"What about the email? Do you know where it was sent from?"

"Yes and it barely changes anything." Sara said bitterly, crumpling a sheet of paper in her hand.

"It was sent from a computer in an internet café, from an account made especially for this purpose and used only this one time. We just know where the café is." Grissom explained, pointing at the newest white dot on the map.

"Please tell me you have some better news for us." Sara whispered pleadingly.

"Well, I've been to three judges. Two of them denied releasing the guys Sean wants but I managed to convince the third one. He owed me a favor, to tell the truth I was planning to use it to get my next allocation on the Caribbean, but that can wait." Jim grinned. "We will have the prisoners in a bus with tracking devices on their ankles. Though you both should understand that this is to be a final solution. It would be better to find Cassie without using it."

"We know." Grissom nodded and biting his glasses turned back to look at the map once more. "There must be something here that I'm missing." He said under his breath, his forehead creased. Both Sara and Jim noticed he got lost in his thoughts again.

"Do you think there is a chance for a different solution than the final one?" Sara asked Jim sadly.

"I'm not a scientist and I don't like to talk about chances. But I'm sure that Grissom will do everything to find your daughter. We all will." Brass smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know…" Sara nodded, "he is a great…" she trailed off.

"Father?" Brass finished for her and laughed quietly seeing shock in her eyes. "Oh, don't be so surprised. By now the whole lab knows and I figured it out after spending a few hours with Cassie the first day you came. She has his character."

"She truly does. She can get lost in her thoughts, forgetting about the whole world exactly like Gil." Sara smiled back. "God, I miss her…" she added, burying her face in her hands, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "It's almost midday and we still have nothing! And everyone's saying there is still time but…"

"They are right, Sara," Brass interrupted, kicking Grissom under the table to get back his attention, "Sean gave you 24 hours, there still almost half of that time left."

"Honey…" Grissom whispered caringly, brushing hair out of Sara's face and stroking her cheek gently.

"Sorry, I know you are all working hard," she sighed, "it's just… it's frustrating sitting here waiting for good news that isn't coming."

"I may change that." A new voice, belonging to Greg, interrupted them. "I think I have found something in the credit cards and accounts records." He entered the room, talking quickly, his voice breaking as if he had just run a marathon. "I mean it doesn't have to be case-breaking but at least it's something. Maybe…"

"Greg, could you come to a point already?" Grissom said flatly.

"Yeah, sorry," he smiled. "So Sean's records are absolutely normal and pretty short since for the last couple of years he didn't have many shopping opportunities. Mark's were much longer, though all there seemed to be typical. You know, some minor money transfers, shopping, monthly installments and bills, even some holidays in Italy, but judging by the price, lousy ones."

"Greg,…" Grissom admonished him.

"Yes, yes, I'm getting there." Greg said quickly. "Anyway, I was getting tired of checking all that stuff and was ready to admit there's absolutely nothing important there till I noticed that few years ago Mark used to have two bank accounts. The second one was a company account. It took some more work to find anything about his corporation as after 10 years on the market it suddenly disappeared. It was a transport company with several warehouses around the city. For some reason it was incredibly hard to track what had happened to them after the company disappeared. My guess is that the selling of them wasn't really legal. I managed to find information about most of the warehouses, they are used now by various companies. I called the current owners and there is nothing suspicious about any of them. However these three," Greg pointed at the map, "seem to be abandoned. There's no info about them anywhere. They might be worth checking out."

"Well it's still not proof of anything, but if they're abandoned we can search them without a warrant. They are in southern Vegas. It's a start." Grissom nodded. "Jim can you give us some of your men?"

"Of course, but just wait a while…" Brass furrowed and took out his memo pad. "Isn't one of these places close to St. Rose Parkway?" He asked, reading his notes.

"Yes, this one," Greg nodded and placed his finger on the proper place on the map, "why?"

"When I talked with the officers today one of them told me that when he used to patrol the area of that street he saw Sean's car a couple times. He doesn't know where exactly and the street itself is pretty long so I thought it was just evidence without context."

"It was. But what Greg found changes that." Grissom said. "Let's start from this one."

~*~  
They pulled over quietly. No lights, no sirens. Nothing to bring attention to them. When they got out of the car Grissom quickly joined Sara and reached for her hand.

"Sara, I must ask you to stay here."

"What? No!" She shouted angrily, withdrawing her hand from his grasp. "I want…I need to…"

"Honey, please, listen," Grissom interrupted her calmly, "whether Cassie is here or not we need to process this place like a crime scene. I know you've been a CSI but I cannot let you inside today. Firstly you don't work in a field anymore and secondly you are a mother in this case. Please, you must let us do our job."

"But…" she tried to protest yet without strength in her voice.

"Honey, look at me," Grissom asked softly and gently forced her to look up, "I'm going in there and I'm going to make sure that Cassie's safety is our priority. She is my daughter too. Trust me."

"I do." Sara answered and moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest, accepting the embrace of his arms. "Just find Cassie. Find our daughter."

Grissom nodded and smiled softly. He reached down for Sara's hand and when she squeezed his gently in response he led her to the place where rest of the team, Brass and some policemen were gathered.

"We're ready when you're ready." Brass said.

"Do you have the blueprints of this building?"

"Yep," Nick pointed at the nearest car with the plans spread on its hood, "there are two ways in, here and here," he explained, "no windows and just two big rooms inside."

"We need to strike from both ends then. Catherine's with me and Warrick's with Greg. Jim, give an order to your men and divide them as you wish."

"What about me?" Nick asked.

"Stay here with Sara."

"Uhm…all right, Griss." He hesitantly answered, trying not to show he wasn't happy about being the one who must stay behind.

"Before we enter the warehouse," Brass cleared his throat after giving his orders to the policemen, "you must remember that there might be a little child in there so you should all be extremely careful. Keep your guns at ready but shoot only as a last resort. And one more thing," he turned to Grissom, "when we force the door your team, Gil, stays behind. They can enter only after my men. Any more questions?"

~*~  
"Why this is taking so long?" Sara asked nervously, pacing up and down from the car to the place where Nick was standing.

"They've been there only few minutes, Sar, calm down." Nick answered calmly. "They know what they're doing. Haste is not going to help."

"I hate waiting…" she sighed, sitting on the car's hood.

"Yeah, I noticed." He grinned and joined Sara, embracing her.

"Nick…listen…" Sara whispered after a while, "he's not bad, you know."

"What?"

"Grissom I mean. He didn't leave me pregnant. I just didn't tell him."

"How do you…?" Nick trailed off.

"I noticed how you look at him." Sara shrugged, deciding that it wasn't a good moment to admit that Grissom overheard the conversation between Nick and Catherine.

"But isn't the fact that you didn't tell him even worse, Sara? What a guy must do to hurt a woman so much that she refuses to tell him about his own child?"

"It wasn't like that. There were many reasons why things happened like they happened." Sara smiled weakly. "To make a long story short – I didn't tell him because I didn't want to have a relationship only because of a child. I didn't want to feel that either of us was forced to do something."

"Why are you defending him? He didn't follow you when you needed him even though he loved you."

"Nick, don't you know him? It's Grissom." Sara grinned. "He wasn't ready to leave Vegas. But I was. I had to go. I needed a different life. Don't hate him for making different decision than I did."

"Why?"

"Because _I_ hated him for that long enough…" Sara whispered ever so quietly, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "He regrets it."

"Regrets and still does nothing…" Nick murmured and felt Sara shudder against him. He looked at her concerned. "You still love him, don't you?" He asked.

Sara rested her head on Nick's shoulder and closed her eyes. She didn't answer and Nick decided to drop the subject.

"Why is it taking so long?" Sara asked a moment later.

"It's not. Look!" Nick answered excited and jumped from the hood pulling Sara with him.

Her heart jumped in her chest at the sight of Grissom coming out of the building. For a moment she thought he was coming alone but quickly she noticed a child's figure curled in his arms. "Cassie…" she whispered and broke into a run, forgetting about the promise she made earlier that she would stay by the car with Nick.

Grissom had noticed her before she reached him and smiled, whispering something into the child's ear. His word made the little girl turn hastily in his arms. "Mommy!" She cried and stretched out her arms to Sara. "Mommy!"

"I'm here Butterfly, I'm here…" Sara said soothingly and took Cassie from Gil's arms, half aware of the tears running down her face. "My God, I was so worried," she sobbed, "I love you so much honey." She closed her eyes and hid her face in Cassie hair, rocking her gently.

"I was scared Mommy," Cassie said with breaking voice, weeping, "I didn't want to go with them." She added and wrapped her arms around Sara's neck tighter, as if her life depended on that grip.

"I know honey but you've been really brave. And it's over now. You're safe. It's all right. Everything is all right."

"I want to go home."

"We'll go home in a minute, baby." Sara promised and kissed the top of her daughter's head. She turned to Grissom. "I don't know how to thank you Gil."

"You don't have to say anything Sara." He smiled and placing his hand on the small of Sara's back gently led her back to the cars.

"Hey Princess," Nick greeted them, "you've been very brave, you know?"

"But I lost Fly…" Cassie complained quietly.

"No you didn't," Nick smiled and took out the toy from one of the cars. "Here you go."

Cassie hesitantly let go of Sara and reached for a toy, hastily cuddling it and embracing Sara again. "Thank you uncle Nick." She smiled weakly.

"Are you going home now?" Nick asked Sara.

"Actually," Grissom interrupted before Sara managed to answer, "I'd rather we went back to the lab first. There'll be a doctor waiting. Cassie should be checked up."

Sara went pale. She was so relieved to have her daughter back in her arms she didn't even pay much attention to the girl's look. When she looked down at Cassie now she noticed that her daughter had some bruises and cuts on her arms and legs. And the thought that she might have been hurt otherwise drew the breath out of her lungs.

"I don't want to Mommy." Cassie's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Honey, I know." She whispered and brushed her fingers through Cassie's hair. "But we'll have to do it. It won't take long, ok? And I'll be with you."

"All the time?"

"Yes Butterfly, all the time." Sara promised and felt Cassie nod against her chest.

"Nick, Catherine's in charge now, she knows I'm going with Sara. Brass is taking the kidnappers out through the back door and to the police station, the rest are processing the scene. I think you should follow Jim and help him with interrogations."

"All right, I just tell Cath I'm leaving too and ask her what we have so far from this place." Nick nodded. "Take care, Sar." He smiled and kissed her and Cassie.

"Let's go then." Grissom said and opened the car door for Sara.


	12. Little star

**A/N:** I must admit - having a "normal" job during the week and doing graphic designs during the weekends does not really help with writing :P But I have a good news for you. I finished whole story :D it just needs a bit of amendment and beta reading before I can put remaining chapters here. Have patience and I hope you'll like what I have for you so far.

Thank you, Anaknusan. :*

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Little star**

"We need to wait a while," Grissom explained, putting down his phone and turning to Sara. "But the doctor should come in maximum, half an hour."

"Thank you." Sara smiled softly and looked down at Cassie, tightly curled up in her lap. Since Grissom brought her to Sara, Cassie hadn't let her go even for a second. She was clutching the sleeve of Sara's jacket in her little fist all the time and protested when Sara, tired of carrying her, tried to put her on the ground. Even now, when they both were sitting on the sofa in Grissom's office she refused to move from her secure position in her mother's arms. Sara leaned over and kissed Cassie's head.

"Mommy?" Cassie whispered. "Will the bad men come back?"

Sara shivered. "No, honey, they won't." She reassured her with the same, calm voice she used when Cassie asked the very same question in Grissom's car. She caringly rubbed her daughter's back. "They're locked up in a prison. Uncle Jim arrested them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Sara forced a smile, though seeing Cassie terrified like that was breaking her heart. Sara felt her trembling every time someone walked past Grissom's office. "Beside, I'm here and I won't let anything bad happen to you. And so is…" She paused, suddenly aware of what she was about to say. She thought about it for a moment, furrowing her brows. Was it a good time to bring it up just now? Should she wait at least till her daughter got better?

She looked at Grissom and smiled softly, making him smile back but with confusion in his eyes as if he could read some of her thoughts.

Why wait any longer? Cassie should know too. Sara sent Grissom another smile, this time warmer, and turned back to Cassie. "Butterfly, I want to tell you something. Something very important."

"Important?"

Sara nodded and gently forced Cassie to look up. "Do you remember when I told you that when you get old enough I'm going to tell you more about your father?" She asked. Grissom shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"You said I have to be a big girl."

"Well, I've been thinking lately and I decided that you are."

"And you will tell me about Daddy?"

"Maybe even something more." Sara answered brushing her fingers gently through Cassie's hair. "Do you want to meet him?"

"I can meet Daddy?" Cassie asked exited, dropping Fly, a moment ago tightly clutched in her hand, on the floor.

"Actually…" Sara smiled, "you already did, honey. Gil…uncle Gil is your Dad." She glanced at Grissom, noticing that his eyebrows were almost touching his hairline and turned back to her daughter, impatiently waiting for her reaction. Sara was expecting questions and was ready to answer them all but to her surprise Cassie simply smiled and turned her head to Grissom and then back to Sara.

"Really?" The girl asked and when Sara nodded she got up from the couch and slowly made her way to Gil. "You're my Daddy?" She asked him.

Grissom was staring at Sara uncertainly, not sure how to react and what to do. He couldn't believe that Sara actually decided to tell Cassie about him. He wanted to ask why. He wanted to thank her. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same moment.

Sara smiled to him encouragingly, playing with the wisp of her hair. It was that one special smile Sara had only for him. The one that made him feel warm inside. And it was enough to give him the courage he needed. He smiled back.

"Yes, I am." He said, smiling softly. "I'm your dad." He added, enjoying the feeling that saying this aloud gave him. "Dad…" he repeated ever so quietly, smiling at the warmth this one simple word woke in his heart. Next thing he knew Sara was laughing and Cassie was climbing on his lap, hugging him with all her strength. Surprised but utterly blissful he hugged her back.

"You were my best-est uncle, Daddy." Cassie whispered in his ear, making him chuckle.

~*~

"Sorry I'm interrupting this family moment…" a woman said, appearing in the doorway to the office. Immediately Cassie jumped from Gil's knees and ran back to Sara, hiding in her arms.

"It's all right, Butterfly." Sara reassured, cuddling and kissing her. "Everything is all right."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you, sweetie." The woman said tenderly. "My name is Lisa and I'm a doctor. This is Doctor Robert." She introduced the middle-aged man standing behind her, whom Sara didn't notice at first. None of them moved inside the room. "Will you tell me your name?"

Cassie shook her head and embraced Sara stronger. Sara stroked her hair gently, exchanging a worried look with Grissom.

"Butterfly, I'm here. It's all right." She whispered warmly. "The doctor just wants to see you, honey. Don't be scared."

"Please, tell me your name." The doctor asked again, smiling.

The girl turned to face the doctor, wrapping her mother's arms tighter around herself. "Cassie…" she answered quietly.

"That's a beautiful name." Lisa smiled. "Would you allow us to come closer, Cassie?"

The girl nodded hesitantly and the two doctors entered the room. Lisa came closer and knelt down to be on the same eye level as Cassie.

"Thank you." She said. "I see you have some scratches on your arms. You think I could have a look at them?" She asked calmly.

Cassie shook her head violently and turned again in Sara's arms, hiding her face in her mother's jacket. Sara rocked her gently.

"It's all right." She repeated caringly. "I'm right here…"

"You can stay in your mom's lap. She can hold you all the time." The doctor explained patiently. "And I will just look at those cuts."

"Will it hurt?" Cassie mumbled quietly.

"No sweetie, it won't." Lisa promised and waited till Cassie turned to face her again. "So, can we do it?" She asked.

Cassie nodded and with Sara's help sat comfortably on her lap, resting her head on Sara's chest. Dr. Lisa very slowly and gently began checking Cassie's arms and legs. After few minutes Sara felt Cassie relax against her and by the end of the examination the girl was even slightly smiling.

"Ok, I'm finished," the doctor said, "you were very patient and brave, Cassie. Thank you."

"Can we go home now?" Cassie asked.

"Well, if you allow us, I would like Dr. Robert to do one more test. And it won't hurt either. He will just need to see your belly in case you have any bruises there too, ok?"

"Ok." She answered uncertainly, tensing again but still allowed the man to do his examination, calmly answering every question he asked.

"Everything's fine." Dr. Robert smiled. "I think we're done."

"And we can go home?" Cassie asked hopefully.

"I'll just have a word with your mom and you'll be free to go." Doctor Lisa answered.

"I don't want you to go, Mommy." Cassie complained, wrapping her arms around Sara's neck.

"I won't go far, Butterfly." Sara said calmly, brushing fingers through Cassie's hair. "I'll stand in the doorway, so you'll be able to see me all the time."

"Mommy will still be near." Grissom added, standing up from his chair and sitting next to Sara. He carefully stroked Cassie's arm. "And I'll stay with you." He smiled.

"Will you stay with unc…Daddy?" Sara asked.

Cassie nodded hesitantly but allowed Grissom to take her from Sara's arms.

"How about learning to spell Mommy's name while she's talking with the doctors?" He asked, grinning.

~*~

Sara made her way to the door, stopping at a place from which she could clearly see her daughter. She smiled seeing her hugged to Grissom. She was trying to show the letter 'r' with her hand. Gil was patiently helping her with it.

"Ms. Sidle," the doctor's voice forced her to avert her eyes from the touching scene, "in every case of kidnapping we're insisting on making a strict forensic examination. However Dr. Grissom asked me not to do it. He told me that when they found Cassie her clothes were intact and that the kidnappers were keeping her in a closed room and though she was scared she didn't seem to be abused. He said that he didn't want to stress his daughter more than she already is. In that situation my hands were bound. I can't do anything without parent's agreement."

"But is my daughter all right?" Sara asked impatiently.

"Her physical abrasions are very minor, a couple of bruises and cuts. Nothing to be scared about." Dr. Lisa explained. "I found no obvious evidence of abuse. Even though she was terrified when I entered the room she allowed me to examine her. Also, I asked Dr. Robert to examine her stomach to check her reaction to a man's presence. And it also went well. Though I would still advise you to make a proper examination or at least take her to a child psychologist."

"What about her behavior? I know she's in shock but … is there a chance she'll forget about this?"

"It's really hard to tell, Ms. Sidle. I don't think she will fully forget about being kidnapped but if you're asking if she'll be back to normal after this then the answer is yes. Although it's hard to tell how soon. It may take a day, month or may even require a longer time with a psychologist's help. You'll need to observe her and react. Right now she needs rest, lots of care, love and maybe some chocolate." The doctor smiled.

"Thank you." Sara said and shook hands with both doctors before they left. She spotted Jim coming in her direction and waited for him to join her.

"How is my little Princess?" He asked peering inside Grissom's office.

"Tired, horrified that 'the bad men' will come back," Sara sighed, "she's hardly allowing me to move from her."

"That is normal after what she has been through. She'll be fine." Jim reassured. "And how are you?"

"Tired, horrified that 'the bad men' will come back," Sara smiled weakly, "but glad Cassie's safe."

"You'll be fine too. You both are very strong girls." He grinned.

"Thank you for bringing her back to me."

"Oh, don't mention it. It's actually my job." He laughed. "By the way, Ecklie found out about what had happened and is asking questions. I told him Grissom already left so I suggest you should really leave before he discovers I lied."

"Cassie would be delighted to hear we're allowed to go home." Sara laughed and got back to Grissom and Cassie, Jim followed her.

"Look, Mommy, I can sign you name." Cassie said cheerfully and slowly signed 'Sara'.

"Very good." Sara praised her. "Can you do yours too?"

"Not yet." The girl answered.

"But we're learning." Grissom added, standing up and handing Cassie back to Sara.

"Are we going home now?" Cassie asked, wrapping arms around Sara's neck.

"Yes, Butterfly, we are."

"I'll drive you." Grissom added.

"Uncle Jim," Cassie turned to him, "the bad men won't run away?" She asked sadly.

"No, Princess," Brass reassured with a smile, "they're locked up and I will make sure that they will stay locked up for a very long time. You don't have to worry." He said, softly kissing Cassie's temple.

~*~  
By the time they reached Sara's apartment Cassie was soundly asleep with her head on Sara's lap. Sara was singing softly, stroking Cassie's hair gently. Lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed they were already parked outside her place. She kept singing.

Not wanting to disturb that sweet scene Grissom cautiously turned in his seat and silently observed them, a smile forming on his lips. He loved hearing Sara sing, he loved her voice. But she sang so rarely, usually when no one was listening or at least when she thought no one was listening. She didn't want to believe him when he assured her she had a great singing voice. To hear her sing Grissom had to eavesdrop while she was taking a shower.

"Oh, sorry, I haven't noticed we're already there." Sara said quietly, snapping Grissom thought back to the present.

"I parked just a moment ago."

"I guess I should be going then. Cassie would be more comfortable in bed." She smiled.

"Sara…" Grissom stammered.

"Yes?"

"If I asked you whether I can come in and stay what would you answer?" He asked uncertainly.

"Why don't you just ask the question straight, Griss? Why do you have to make sure first if the answer that I would give is what you want to hear?"

"Sara,…" Grissom sighed. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't find the proper words. Or maybe he was too scared to say them aloud. He frowned his eyebrows and sighed again. "I will be much calmer if I know you're safe and fine and…"

"Oh, all right." Sara interrupted him, shaking her head. "Come in." She smiled at him.

~*~  
"Make yourself comfortable." Sara said quietly when they entered the apartment. "I'll put Cassie to bed, ok?"

"Do you need any help?"

"Thank you, but I think it will be easier and probably quicker if I do it myself." She smiled. "It won't take long."

Grissom nodded and took a look around. There wasn't much to see as the place was rented and it definitely lacked character. He gave himself a tour around the living room and the kitchen and smiled seeing how clean this place was. There was no single toy or a book put out of its place. He wondered whether that meant that Cassie was as organized as he was.

When after ten minutes Sara still wasn't back he took a place on the sofa and from the neat stack of magazines he chose the newest issue of a forensic journal.

"Sorry, it took longer than I expected," Sara said quietly, turning off the light in Cassie's room and leaving the door ajar. "It was very long ago when I last had to redress a sleeping child." She laughed and joined him on the sofa.

"I don't mind. I used that time to make us a cup of tea and order something from the veggie bar." Grissom explained, folding down the magazine. "I found the leaflet in the kitchen." He explained in response to Sara's questioning gaze. "You know you have to eat something, right?" He furrowed.

"Guess you won't give me much choice." Sara laughed.

An hour later they were both finishing their dinner. Sara leaned back on the couch with the cup of tea in her hands.

"I didn't know I was so hungry." Sara grinned.

"Well, that was a very long night… and a day. You should also get some sleep. You've hardly had any lately."

"I'm fine. I'm not sleepy yet." Sara answered but Grissom noticed she turned her head in the direction of Cassie's room. Before he managed say that Cassie would be fine she stood up and turned to him. "Sorry, I forgot it was a busy time for both of us and you're probably tired. There's only one guest bedroom here and Cassie sleeps there, so all I can offer you is the couch. I'll bring you a pillow and a quilt." She smiled.

Grissom sighed, not daring to protest and took what was left from their supper to the kitchen.

"I also brought you a bathrobe. Don't worry it's not a silk, flowery one." She laughed. "Towels and a new toothbrush are in the bathroom. Did I forget anything?"

"No," he answered with a crooked smile, "maybe except the fact that I'm usually getting up at that time, not going sleep."

"Sorry, but I'm thinking in Cisco time." She shrugged with a smile and sat on the couch. "Well, if none of us is planning to sleep we may as well watch a movie or something."

Grissom smiled and took a sit next to her. "Do you have any particular one in mind?"

"I don't have much DVD's here but I think there's something that may interest you." She answered and reached for a DVD box laying on the side table and showed it to Grissom with a huge grin.

"'Microcosmos'?" He raised his eyebrow. "I thought you never liked that movie."

"I find the lack of commentary boring. It wasn't so bad when you were taking care of the narrator part for me, though." She answered inserting the disc into the DVD player. "Beside, the DVD's not mine. It's Cassie's."

"And she likes it even without a commentary?"

"She's actually making her own." Sara giggled at Grissom raised eyebrows. "In case you haven't notice yet, she doesn't get her personality from me."

Grissom only smiled and turned to watch the movie, though Sara noticed that his eyes were hardly focused on the TV.

"If you're not talking about that movie and the things that I don't know about the bugs then you're not paying real attention." Sara sighed, grinning. "What are you thinking about, Griss?"

"Cassie…" he answered quietly, "there's something that's bothering me."

"Yes?"

"Sara, you know that she…I mean that I am…" he stammered and sighed, "that I have been diagnosed with otosclerosis. And that this disease can be heritable. Is she…" he paused not being able to say it aloud, "…you're teaching her to sign already…"

"Oh, Gil, I should have know you would think about it in this way." She shook her head and reached for his hand, rubbing it gently. "I should have told you before. There's nothing wrong with Cassie's hearing."

"You know it usually afflicts…"

"Women between age 15 and 30." Sara finished for him. "I did my own research, Gil. Relax," she added, sending him a sweet smile, "Cassie's fine. I told my doctor about her genetic predispositions while I was still pregnant. Her hearing was thoroughly checked after she was born and because I'm an overprotective mother we're checking it every year, even though I was told it's not necessary to do it so often."

At that Grissom smiled too. "Then why sign language?" He asked, the tension in his voice Sara noticed earlier disappearing. He didn't let go of her hand either. Instead he carefully entangled his fingers with hers and gently rubbed the back of Sara's hand with his thumb.

"It had nothing to do with a hearing loss, she knows it because I know it." Sara answered, smiling. "She found my picture. One of those you took while we went camping at the lake. On that particular one I was showing something with my hand…" Sara paused and laughed seeing that they both arranged their free hands into the same symbol – I love you. "Yeah, exactly. Cassie asked me what it was and when I told her, she was so fascinated by the idea that you can actually 'speak' with your hands that I decided to teach her to sign. Well, at least teach her what I know, which is not much."

"I think your signing is very good. And I'm still impressed that you learned signing yourself. In secret from me."

"I wasn't the only one keeping secrets back then. You know, it cost me a lot of work to find out that it was the hearing loss that was making you so nervous and … gloomy."

"I know…" He answered and smiled. "Did Cassie ever asked questions about…me?" Grissom asked suddenly

Sara smiled. "Griss, she's your daughter. Of course she asked questions."

"And…may I ask…" he stammered.

"What I told her?" Sara finished for him. "I told that her father is truly a good guy. A scientist. And that he lives in a different city, far from Cisco. That he can't live with us…" Sara sighed. "I told her that for the time being she needs to trust me and that I can't tell her more but I'll tell her everything when she becomes old enough to understand. I was planning to start talking with her about you soon, slowly telling her the whole story. But I guess the plans changed a bit."

"Sara," Grissom whispered after a moment of silence, "do you think there ever was a chance for us?" He asked the question without really thinking about it and for a moment he thought that he had said something he shouldn't and that Sara would leave the room or ask him to leave but she hardly even moved.

"I don't know." She answered quietly and cast her eyes down. "Maybe we were never meant to be together. Maybe we just made some bad decisions." She shrugged. "The one thing I learned during the last few years is that pondering about the past is not actually changing anything."

"And would you change something if you had a chance?"

"Change my decisions? I'm sorry, Gil, but no. I had to leave, it was the right time for me to go and…" she paused and slowly shook her head.

Grissom carefully lifted his hand to Sara's cheek and gently forced her to look at him. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Without really thinking Grissom leaned slowly in and placed a tender kiss on Sara's lips.

Sara was so surprised she forgot to breathe. Taken by the moment she kissed him back. Slowly and gently. As if anything fiercer would break this moment. She savored it. The taste of his lips, the touch of his hand against her skin, his scent. Everything seemed so new and yet so well known, as if some forgotten memories were coming back. Her heart was beating faster with every second.

A minute later it was all gone. They moved away from each other, hardly looking in each other eyes, too afraid that their own were revealing too much about their feelings.

"I think…" Sara stammered ever so quietly, "We should get back to the movie."

"Yes…we should…"

Both of them turned to face the forgotten TV. Much to Sara's surprise Grissom added his own commentary to the silent documentary. Sara smiled and out of habit rested her head on Gil's shoulder.

~*~  
Grissom was woken up by a movement next to him and a quiet noise coming from Cassie's room. Before he managed to open his eyes properly Sara was already gone from the room.

He understood that they both, tired after so many hours spent on searching for Cassie, must have fallen asleep and now Cassie's sobbing woke them up. Grissom sat straight, yawned and turned off the TV.

He heard Cassie whimpering from the other room and Sara's gentle words.

"Shh, honey, it's ok. It's ok."

"They were here," Cassie cried, "I saw them, Mommy."

"It was just a bad dream, Butterfly. Uncle Jim locked the bad men up."

"They won't come?"

"No, honey, they won't." Sara said quietly.

"I'm scared."

"You are safe here, Cassie. I'm here and Daddy's here too. He stayed for you. We won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Don't go Mommy…" Cassie begged with a faltering voice.

"I won't go anywhere. I'll stay here, I promise. Just close your eyes and try to sleep." Sara whispered and Grissom heard she began to sing. He quietly moved closer to hear better. It was the same song she had been singing in the car. A sweet, gentle lullaby. He closed his eyes, listening to the words.

_Never forget who you are  
Little star  
Never forget how to dream  
Butterfly_

_God gave a present to me  
Made of flesh and bones  
My life, my soul  
You make my spirit whole_

_You are a treasure to me  
You are my star  
You breathe new life  
Into my broken heart_

_May angels protect you  
And sadness forget you  
Little star*_

He didn't know this song. It was beautiful and the way Sara sung it almost made his heart melt.

It reminded him of something Sara said while they spent long hours in the lab last night. She said she was so afraid that she wouldn't be a good mother, that she won't be able to show her daughter that the world is a beautiful place because she hardly knew it as a beautiful place. And when Cassie was born everything changed and it was Cassie showing Sara the beauty of life.

The longer Sara was singing the better he was understanding that the lullaby's words matched her life.

When he opened his eyes again he was surprised to notice that the singing had stopped and whole apartment was quiet. Carefully he looked into Cassie's room and saw his little daughter sleeping, tightly curled in her mother's arms. Sara was asleep too.

Grissom smiled. Cautiously he made his way inside the room and careful not wake his girls he gently leaned over the bed and delicately kissed Cassie. Then he looked at Sara and tucked her in with the quilt. He brushed a wisp of hair from her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead too.

"You really are a great mother, honey. And you managed to show someone all that is beautiful in life. You showed it to me." He whispered in a barely heard voice and left the room.

* * *

*"Little Star" by Madonna


	13. Goodbye

**A/N****:** Here's the next chapter.I'm quite sure you're going to hate me for this one. But…well, just be patient, please. :)

Anaknusan: Thank you for your incredible help :*

**Chapter 13 – Goodbye**

"Morning." Sara entered the kitchen, smiling at the sight of Grissom wearing a pink, flowery kitchen apron. "I thought I smelled breakfast." She grinned and stifled a yawn. Her hair was still wet from her morning shower.

"Good morning. Did I wake you up?" Grissom asked. "Tea? Coffee?"

"Coffee please. No, you didn't. I'm usually up around that hour." She arched her eyebrows in surprise when Grissom put a plate with pancakes and a bowl of diced fruit in front of her. "When did you have time to make this? Did you sleep at all?"

"I might have dozed for an hour or two." He answered taking the other plate with pancakes for himself. "I'm going to make another portion when Cassie wakes up. She likes them, I hope."

"Likes? That's an understatement." Sara laughed. "Pancakes are probably her favorite meal ever."

"That's good." Grissom smiled and stuck the fork into his pancake and cut it into small pieces without making any attempt to eating it.

"Listen, Sara, would you mind if I stayed a bit longer?" He muttered the question unexpectedly, after few minutes of silently playing with his meal. The words he said were so quiet and quick they were barely recognizable and Sara had to almost guess their meaning. But when she did, she froze, holding the fork somewhere in the middle between the plate and her mouth. She knew how hard it was for Grissom to ask her such a straight question. He hardly ever did so.

"Well…" Sara started and cleared her throat. She raised her eyes to him, playing with her damp hair. Grissom was looking at her too, his eyes almost pleading. "Well, I'm surprised," she admitted, swallowing "but I think you make way too delicious pancakes to simply throw you out." She grinned, putting another piece of pancake in her mouth. She caught a glimpse of a huge grin spreading on Gil's face.

~*~  
"Mommy?" Cassie called quietly.

"In the kitchen, honey."

A little girl entered the room, yawning, dressed in pink, footed pajama. With on hand she was rubbing her sleepy eyes, dragging Fly on the floor with the other. Grissom smiled at that, for a moment forgetting about the pancake he had on the frying pan.

"Hi, Butterfly," Sara smiled, "not awake yet?"

Cassie shook her head and outstretched her arms to Sara.

Sara took the girl in her arms and hugged her caringly. "Then we should do something to wake you up." Sara laughed and began to place butterfly kisses all over Cassie's face till the girl giggled and covered her face with her hands. "Are you awake now?"

Cassie shook her head, still laughing. She remained hidden behind her hands.

"No?" Sara chuckled. "In that case…" she tickled her daughter gently and a moment later the kitchen was filled with Cassie's sweet giggles.

"…not…asleep…" Cassie mumbled through laughter. Sara stopped tickling her.

"Good morning." She said and placed a tender kiss on girl's forehead.

"Good morning, Mommy." Cassie answered, embracing Sara.

"Ready for breakfast?" Sara asked putting Cassie back on the floor. "Daddy is making pancakes."

"Can he make them fly?" Cassie asked cheerfully, quickly moving from Sara to have a better look at Grissom.

"Fly?" Grissom turned to Sara, his creased forehead reveling confusion.

"Flip them in the air." She explained.

"Like this?" Grissom asked with a big grin and perfectly flipped the pancake.

Cassie gasped with delight. "Again, Daddy."

Grissom's smile widened after he was called daddy and he repeated the flipping, though this time he threw the pancake onto a plate and gave it to Cassie.

"Can I have it with chocolate?" Cassie raised her now hopeful eyes at Sara.

"You can have one with chocolate but others with fruit, ok?"

"Yummy…" the girl exclaimed, licking her lips. "Mommy? Do I have to go with Lindsay today?"

"No, Butterfly," Sara smiled, "I'm not going to work and Daddy is staying here too."

"Really? And we can play?" The girl asked, swallowing a mouthful of fruit.

"We can do anything you want."

The girl clapped her hands enthusiastically, which lit up both Sara's and Gil's eyes and they smiled to themselves.

The doorbell rang and Sara got up from the couch, tossing on the table a magazine she had been reading. She giggled seeing that neither Grissom nor her daughter noticed the ringing, both too busy playing chess. She opened the door and chuckled, seeing the whole team gathered in front of her apartment.

"We hope you missed us already." Greg greeted her cheerfully.

"Yeah, of course." Sara smirked. "You came to check up on me?"

"Something like that." Catherine smiled. "So how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"And Cassie?"

"She's better. Grissom spent the whole day teaching her how to play chess." Sara explained, grinning.

"Told you we'd find him here." Brass shrugged.

Sara's cheeks flushed and she forced a smile. "Listen, are you going to come in or would you rather talk in the hallway?" She asked to change the subject.

"Of course we're going to come in. I have to yell at Gil for turning off his cell phone." Catherine said.

"And I have a gift for Cassie." Nick added showing a large package in his hands.

"Gift? She doesn't have birthday, Nicky." Sara said, letting them in.

"Yeah, but we missed like six of her birthdays."

Sara looked at him surprised, raising her eyebrows and a moment later she laughed merrily. "You've spent way too much time with Grissom. You even use the same excuses." She shook her head, grinning.

"Look Mommy, I took Daddy's…horsie." Cassie said triumphantly when Sara entered the room. The girl showed a chess piece she was holding in her hand.

"The 'horsie' is called a knight." Grissom reminded her with a smile.

"Do you think you could take a break now?" Sara asked kneeling next to them and brushing fingers through Cassie's hair.

"But I'm winning…" Cassie complained.

"I know, honey, but we have guests."

"Guests?" Cassie asked and turned around, reaching for Sara's hand. Even that simple and barely noticeable gesture made Sara sigh. It reminded her about yesterday and showed that her daughter was still scared. Sara embraced her caringly, making a mental note to observe Cassie's reactions even more than she did so far.

"And the guests brought cookies." Brass said cheerfully. The whole team stood gathered near the door to the room. "So, can we come in, Princess?"

Cassie nodded, and seeing familiar faces, let go of Sara's hand. She ran to the other side of the room and hugged each of the guest, laughing joyfully.

"You knew they were coming?" Grissom asked quietly, helping Sara to gather chess pieces scattered on the floor.

"No, but maybe you would if you hadn't turned off your cell." Sara smiled.

"How do you…?"

"Catherine told me. I think she's mad at you."

"Oh yeah, she is." They heard Catherine's voice from behind and turned to see her standing next to them. Grissom stood up from the floor.

"Do you know how many times I had to talk with Ecklie today? And I'm not even at work yet." Catherine added.

"Sorry, Catherine, I thought there wouldn't be any problems. I'll take care of this tonight."

"You'd better." Catherine shook her head.

"Mommy, look what uncle Nick gave me! Look, Daddy!" Cassie exclaimed, sitting on the floor, surrounded by Nick, Greg, Warrick and Brass. There was a silver box in front of her, similar to the ones the CSIs used in the field, though smaller. "It's a field kit! Thank you, uncle Nick." She smiled and threw herself into Nick's arms.

Sara and Grissom glanced at each other and turned to Nick.

"Oh, don't give me that look." He grinned, still embracing Cassie. "I checked if it's safe for children. I packed it myself."

"Somehow it doesn't make me feel better." Grissom whispered in Sara's ear. She choked trying to stifle a laugh.

"I see you told her about Gil." Catherine whispered to Sara, smiling. Sara simply nodded.

"Will you play with me uncle? Please…" Cassie asked, pulling Nick's hand and forcing him to sit on the floor.

"That's why I'm here." He laughed and helped Cassie to open the case.

"Hey, can I join?" Greg asked pleadingly, peeking at the contents of the case.

"I guess I can make coffee while the children play." Sara giggled quietly.

"So, what Ecklie wanted?" Sara asked handing out the coffee and unwrapping the sweets that Jim brought.

"He wanted to know why he's always the last one to know about things going on in the lab." Catherine shrugged. "And how it happened that suddenly Gil has a six year old daughter."

"And what did you tell him?" Grissom asked.

"To call you, of course." Catherine shrugged. "And that he's too old to be told how children are made." She added quieter, provoking everyone to laugh.

"Seems like you're going to have busy night, Griss." Warrick noticed. "An angry Ecklie and paperwork."

"And that's different form all the other nights because…?" Grissom raised his eyebrows.

Brass smirked but before he managed to say anything Sara's laughter interrupted them.

"I think you need to repeat Nick's CSI level one tests." She laughed.

"What? Why?" Grissom looked at her surprised, arching his eyebrow.

"Look at Cassie…" she said and all the eyes turned to the little girl, who was sitting on the floor with a book opened on her knees. She was carefully taking all the items from the case and when it was empty she put them back in, checking something in the book first. Nick and Greg were watching her openmouthed. "He packed the field kit wrong." Sara explained, giggling. "Cassie is correcting the order of the things in the kit according to what her book says."

"Oh man! A six year old is better than he is." Warrick grinned.

"I think that was to be expected. After all she's Gil's and Sara's kid." Catherine said.

A triumphant smile brightened Grissom's face. A father's pride was clearly visible in his eyes.

"You're going to tease Nick about it, aren't you?" Sara asked Warrick.

"Of course I am." He smirked. "Hey, Nick," he shouted, "better check the name of that book. It looks like you should be reading it too."

"Very funny." Nick stuck his tongue out.

"Well, I'm laughing." Warrick chuckled.

"Cassie could you tell me what was wrong with the field kit?" Grissom asked, intrigued.

"The flashlight was at the bottom," the little girl simply explained, shrugging, "and the tape too, and this…" she said showing handful of swabs.

"And why can't they be there?"

"Because we need them first."

"Very good, honey." Grissom complimented and Cassie smiled widely, putting some of the last items in the case. "Sorry, she's right Nick. The protocol says that you should pack your kit so that the things you would use right after arriving at crime scene, like a camera, note pad and the others Cassie mentioned, should be on top, with easy access to them."

"I think I need to repack my field case." Nick, Warrick and Greg said together which caused Jim to choke on his coffee.

In the next half an hour Cassie, with Nick's help, managed to make a folder for Greg, which included his fingerprints, cheek swab, hair sample and a detailed description. When that was done she began to fingerprint Nick. It wasn't long before all three of them were covered in fingerprint ink.

"Can I have a cookie?" Cassie asked, running to Sara.

"Yes…" Sara answered but when Cassie reached for a cookie Sara gripped her hand, "…but not with those dirty hands." She added, smiling.

"They are not dirty." Cassie shook her head.

"No? Then why they are black?" Sara smiled and turned her daughter's hands palm side up.

"Oops…" Cassie giggled and looked at her mother. A moment later she opened her mouth wide. Sara stifled a laugh.

"Cassandra Alicia Sidle," she said, trying to keep the formal tone, though she couldn't hide a wide smile from her face, "you are way too big to be fed by me."

"Can Daddy do it?"

"No, honey, Daddy won't feed you either." Sara laughed. "But there's a simple solution for your problem. You can wash your hands."

Cassie sighed. "Do I have to?"

"Do you want your cookie?" Sara answered with a question and Cassie nodded. "Then go to the bathroom and wash your hands. And in the meantime I'll make you tea, ok?"

"Ok." Cassie agreed.

"Can you take your uncles with you?" Grissom asked her. "They look in need of a wash too."

Greg and Nick looked at each other and laughed, both having black smudges of ink on their cheeks and foreheads.

"Anyone else wants something to drink?" Sara asked, standing up.

"No, we're fine." They answered.

"I'll help you." Catherine offered and followed Sara to the kitchen.

"Ok, what's wrong, Cath?" Sara asked.

"Why does anything need to be wrong?"

"You didn't come here to help me with preparing _one_ cup of tea so I'm guessing there's something you want to talk about."

"I see Grissom trained you well." Catherine smiled. "In that case I'm not going to beat about the bush. Are your going to tell him?"

"Tell him?" Sara asked taken aback. She took Cassie's cup from the cupboard and put it on the counter, turning to Catherine. "About what?"

"That you are leaving."

"What? I am …" Sara paused in the middle of the process of preparing Cassie's tea. "How do you know?" She asked quietly looking the other way.

"Because I've been through this, Sara. I wanted to leave Vegas as soon as Lindsay was found."

"Why you didn't?"

"Vegas is my home." Catherine shrugged. "But you don't feel that way. Your home is in San Francisco."

"Cath…" Sara began but then the kettle whistled and she turned to pour the hot water into the cup.

"I know it's not my business Sara. It's your life and I'm certainly not going to persuade you to change your decision. Go. But maybe this time talk with him about it. And tell Nick, he cares about you." She patted Sara on the arm and left the kitchen, leaving her with a hundred thoughts in her mind.

Sara closed her eyes and exhaled, brushing her fingers through her hair.

When Sara reentered the living room she was welcomed by a sight that made her stop and chuckle. Both Nick's and Greg's clothes were covered in wet stains. There was water still dripping from Greg's hair and Nick was unsuccessfully trying to dry his shirt with paper tissues. Cassie was the driest of the three of them. Only tiny trails of water were present on her t-shirt.

"So how large part of our bathroom is now an underwater kingdom?" Sara asked, sitting back at the table and pulling her daughter onto her lap.

"A tiny bit…" Cassie answered, "that small." She added and showed it with her hands.

"Ok," Sara giggled, "with 'that small' we can manage."

"If you ever wondered how it is to have three kids, now you know." Brass grinned.

"Hey!" Nick and Greg protested together.

"Can I have another cookie?" Cassie asked, sipping the tea.

Sara smiled and nodded. She looked around the table. Catherine was discussing something with Warrick. Nick and Greg, giving up the idea of drying themselves, leaned over some magazine and began to argue about the article. Jim, with the cup of coffee in his hands was trying to make Cassie laugh by making faces while Grissom watched, still wearing his 'proud father smile'. When he noticed that Sara was looking at him he raised his eyes to meet hers. The moment he did so his brows furrowed. He'd noticed something was wrong. Sara was smiling and hugging her daughter but the smile wasn't reaching her eyes. They were dark and sad. He wanted to ask what was going on but the moment he opened his mouth to speak Sara shook her head and turned to Cassie.

"When you finish eating, Butterfly, I want you to do something for me, ok?"

"Do what?"

"Pack all your book and toys."

"Are we going home?" Cassie asked with joyful sparks in her eyes, that disappeared a moment later. All conversations around the table died. "Are you going back to work, Mommy?"

"No, honey, not for another week that is. I thought we might go to the ocean, if you like."

"To uncle Stefano's cottage?" Cassie asked eagerly.

"Yes. And he said he'll join us for the weekend."

"Yay!" Cassie laughed and wrapped her arms around Sara's neck. "But you'll help me with packing my clothes?"

When Sara nodded and kissed her, Cassie jumped from Sara's lap and with a cookie in her hand she ran to her room.

"You're leaving?" Nick asked.

"Yes," Sara admitted, "I just wasn't sure how to tell you all about it." She glanced at Grissom, who had stiffened behind the table. His blue eyes were piercing her. "Listen, you knew I would leave anyway. I came only to help with the case."

"But the case isn't solved yet." Greg protested.

"There's not much I can help with. I told you what I found and with the data that I have on my laptop now I can as well work in Cisco and send you results, if there are any. I already settled that with Stefano – my supervisor."

"Are you leaving because of the recent events?" Nick asked. "Because, you know, those guys are in prison…"

Sara stiffened in her chair.

"Nick, drop it." Catherine cut in. "It's Sara's right to go home whenever she wants."

"Aren't you going to say anything about it, Griss?" Greg asked but his question remained unanswered.

"You know, Gil," Catherine wondered, "you could go too." Her suggestion made Sara freeze. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

At the same moment Grissom's expression changed, though Sara was almost sure she was the only one who noticed that. Suddenly she saw in his eyes what she used to hear in his voice seven years ago. Fear, uncertainty, confusion. Despite everything he told Sara, despite the fact that he wished he had done things differently back then, now when he was given a second chance he still wasn't ready to take it. Sara's heart sank. During the last few days she'd been stopping herself from believing that things could change that much. That he could leave. For her and with her. But still, unconsciously, she was hoping. Realizing the truth hurt. The truth that she wanted him to follow and that he still couldn't.

"No, it's ok, Cath," Sara shook her head, "it's how it's supposed to be. Your home is here. Mine in Cisco." It surprised her how steady her voice was when she was shaking inside. She forced a smile.

"Just this time call us from time to time." Brass said to break the awkward silence and grinned.

"I promise." Sara smiled. "But you have to call me too."

"Mommy?" Cassie interrupted, standing in the doorway with Fly in her hands. "Is Daddy coming too?"

Sara hardly swallowed a gulp in her throat. "No, honey, he's not." She answered calmly. Cassie cast her eyes down. "Come here, Butterfly."

The girl dropped the plushie on the floor and walked to Sara, cuddling to her and hiding her face in Sara's shirt. Sara kissed the top of her daughter's head and rubbed her back.

"You're sad because you're going to miss him, aren't you?" She asked gently, trying to ignore the others staring at her.

"I already do…" Cassie admitted quietly.

"Ok, you already miss him." Sara repeated, smiling weakly. "Cassie, do you remember what I've been telling you about your Dad?"

"That he is very good?" Cassie answered with a question.

Sara smiled softly. "And?"

"That he can't live with us because he has a home somewhere else?"

"Yes, honey, and you know that our home is in San Francisco. Daddy's is here. He has his work here, friends…just like we have in Cisco. They need him here. You understand that don't you?"

"…yes. But…"

"Listen, honey," Sara interrupted, "the fact that we're living in two different cities doesn't mean you're going to lose your Dad." She explained quietly. "Firstly we have phones and you'll be able to call him every day if you want. And I thought that we may buy Daddy an internet camera just like we have. So you could talk to him like you do with uncle Stefano. We can later think about other ways to let you spend time with Dad, ok?"

"Can we buy it today?" Cassie raised her head and looked at Sara.

"It's quite late now," Sara said, "but I'll try to find something through the Internet, ok?" She added seeing sadness in her daughter's eyes. "If I do I'll order it right away. Will that be fine?"

"Will you tell the shop to hurry because I need to talk to Daddy and he's far?"

"I'll write them a special note." Sara smiled, kissing Cassie's forehead.

"I love you, Mommy." Cassie whispered and embraced Sara. Then she ran to Grissom and embraced him too. "I love you, Daddy." He embraced her tightly, closing his eyes.

"Guys, we need to get back to work." Catherine said when the silence filled the room again.

"But it's still early." Greg protested.

"You forgot we agreed to come earlier." She explained.

"Earlier?"

"Greg, work!" Warrick said impatiently.

"Oh, right, that 'earlier'." The younger CSI smirked and stood up along with the others.

"If you need help with packing or something…" Nick hugged Sara.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. And I'll try to be a better friend from now on and call you."

"You better."

Goodbyes and hugs took a while. The team wished Sara a safe trip and promised to keep in contact this time.

After being kissed and tickled by so many people Cassie forgot that she was sad and even taught Nick how to sign goodbye. When the guests left she got back to packing her stuff without the slightest complain.

Grissom was still silent. He leaned on the kitchen counter and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the upcoming migraine. Ever since Sara had said they were leaving he couldn't focus on anything else. The same questions were appearing in his mind over and over again.

_Why is it so hard? I know what should be done…why can't I simply do it. I should pack a bag and go with them…_

_And then what? What about work? Jim? Catherine? Or even Ecklie? Where would I stay there? _

_Leave Vegas? Am I not too old to do so?_

Sara moved closer to him. "You knew I would leave eventually." She said softly.

"Stay…" Grissom whispered almost pleadingly, reaching for Sara's hand and rubbing it caringly.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Griss, I hate this city. I always did. During the nine years I spent here I got blown up in the lab, my best friend was buried alive, someone tried to kill you and some psychotic girl trapped me under the car in the middle of nowhere. And now someone kidnapped my daughter a week since I came back. How do you expect me to live here? I can't do this, I can't spend my whole life wondering whether I will come home from work." Sara explained sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry…it's just…I don't know what to do." He admitted.

"I know what you want of me, but I won't do it Gil." Sara shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you to follow us."

"Maybe you should…"

"No, it must be your decision, not mine. You need to do it alone and you need to be sure. Don't go if you're not ready, it will only make the things worse."

"What about Cassie? And you? Us?"

"I don't know Gil. Everything is up to you. For now I'll buy you the Internet camera as I promised. And tomorrow morning we are leaving."

Grissom sighed. He knew he wasn't ready to make a final decision. How could he leave this city? His home, friends. He wasn't a youngster anymore and older people just stay where they are, right? But on the other hand didn't he miss Sara badly over the last seven years? And now things between them were getting pretty good. And of course there was Cassie.

The pressure behind his eyes was getting stronger. He squinted and pinched the bridge of his nose tightly, trying to slower his breathing, like Sara taught him. It didn't help. He felt the first pulsating sting of pain.

"Daddy?" Cassie's voice snapped his thoughts back to present and he opened his eyes. His daughter was standing in front of him with a book tightly clutched in her hands. "It's yours." She said handing him the book. He recognized it as the one he had lent her.

Grissom smiled at her. "You know what?" He said and knelt down. "Why don't you keep it for a little longer. You'll give it back to me next time we meet, ok?"

Cassie nodded with a smile and hugged him. Grissom stood up when she ran back to her room.

"What time are you leaving?" He asked Sara.

"Around eight."

"Can I come to say goodbye?"

"Won't you be working?"

"I can leave early. I … I need to see you." He whispered.

"All right," Sara forced a smile though she could feel her heart breaking. She knew he wasn't ready to go and she couldn't stay here, which would make them part again. It felt like a really painful déjà vu."Don't be late." She pleaded. The tone of her voice made Grissom wonder whether she meant only tomorrow.


	14. Happy Birthday

**A/N: **As you'll probably notice before reaching the end of this chapter the story is reaching its unavoidable end. There's just one more chapter after this one…  
Enjoy reading ;)

Big thanks for Anaknusan for her amazing beta reading job :* :*

**Chapter 14 – Happy Birthday**

Usually he wasn't impatient. But waiting long hours for Sara's call seemed to Grissom utterly impossible to handle. He checked the hour on his watch for the tenth time till he finally decided to call himself, eager to hear Sara and Cassie's voices again. Even though Cassie was asleep he still spent almost an hour talking with Sara. It had been so long since they had talked like that, and it was easy for him to smile talking to Sara.

Since that first phone call, it had become his new habit. Before every shift instead of his usual crossword puzzle, he called her. Because Cassie was usually asleep he would make another phone call when his shift was over to talk with his daughter. The whole lab knew that he was not to be disturbed at these moments.

What's more, a week after Sara came to Cisco he went to join her for the weekend. Sara could hardly believe her eyes when she opened the door and saw him standing there with an uncertain smile on his face. And even more when Grissom promised to come for another weekend too. When she mentioned that while talking with Nick on the phone he told her that much to Ecklie's dislike Grissom had taken off every weekend in the coming months.

Though Sara didn't want to admit it even to herself, she was looking forward to every visit. She was even counting the days till the next one. There wasn't anything she enjoyed more. She simply loved seeing the smile forming on Cassie's face when she was playing with both of them, or the pucker between her brows when she was concentrating hard on something Gil was teaching her. But the most pleasure she got, was from the evenings she and Gil were spending alone, either simply talking or watching movies, like they used to do so many years ago in Vegas.

Despite all this, she was still denying herself hope that this could last. Sometimes, late at night when she couldn't sleep, she kept wondering how much longer this would last and whether she could survive the pain of the unavoidable end. She knew that sooner or later Grissom would get tired of flying to San Francisco every weekend. And that the pain each of them felt on Monday mornings, when a goodbye had to be said, would soon be too much for either of them to handle.

Nonetheless every visit left a smile on her face. She even got back to the old habit of humming songs at work.

And today was no different. Maybe her smile was even broader than usual and the songs more cheerful. All that because she had been planning something over the last few days and today it was time to put plans into action.

She took out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Willows." A female voice answered after two rings.

"Hi Cath, did I wake you up?" Sara asked.

"No, I was already up. You tried to reach me earlier?"

"Yes. Sorry, I keep forgetting that your working hours are different than mine."

"Don't worry about that." Catherine smiled. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I need a favor." Sara said carefully.

"A favor?" Catherine's voice seemed concerned. "Something happened?"

"No, no!" Sara reassured quickly. "I'm just planning something and I need a bit help, and you're the best for the job." She grinned to herself.

"Ok, you got my interest, I'm listening." Catherine laughed.

"But it mustn't reach Grissom's ears." Sara added and began to explain to Catherine the details of what she had been planning for the last two weeks.

* * *

"Do we really have to do this, Catherine?" Grissom asked gloomily.

"You've been grumbling all day, Gil." Catherine shook her head and gently pushed Gil through the restaurant's door. "Just relax and enjoy. You don't have birthdays every day."

"I don't celebrate birthdays." Grissom complained. "Besides it's Saturday morning."

"We know!" Several people behind him said together and he turned to meet his team's disapproving gazes. Grissom furrowed his eyebrows. Did he remind them about that too many times already?

"Gil, we know that you're spending weekends with Sara and Cassie but your flight got cancelled anyway. You may as well accept the fact that you're staying with us today." Brass patted Grissom's shoulder and pushed him further inside. The restaurant was almost empty at such an early hour. Several people were eating early breakfast and one couple was slow dancing to the quiet music. Catherine led the team to the center table and hid the plate with reservation details before Grissom noticed it. She didn't want him to know just yet that it was all planned.

"I could drive to Cisco." Grissom murmured, hesitantly taking the seat at the head of the table.

"No, you could not." Catherine grinned. "You just spent ten hours at work. There is no chance we would allow you to spend almost the same time behind a wheel."

"We should order something. Breakfast and drinks." Greg suggested, ignoring Grissom's quiet complaints. He waved and a moment later a waiter collected their orders.

"At least just pretend you enjoy spending time with your friends." Brass whispered to Grissom, smirking.

"Who says I don't?"

Brass raised his eyebrows. "So you're actually cheerful now?" He chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry Jim, he'll be smiling in an hour." Catherine grinned and winked at Brass.

* * *

The breakfast seemed to please Grissom a bit and he even laughed with the others and with patience and a smile allowed them to drink a toast to him. Though occasionally he was still peeking at his watch, wondering whether he would be able to go to San Francisco anyway.

_If I left now and drove very fast…_ he wondered, but a sudden movement at the table forced him to lift his head. He heard Greg clearing his throat meaningfully at something behind Grissom's back and poke Nick whose face was instantly brightened up with a smile. But before he managed to react he felt two kisses placed delicately on each of his cheeks.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!"

"Happy birthday."

Two familiar voices said together. Grissom turned to them astonished while the team laughed behind his back.

"Sara?" He asked, disbelieving his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"We came for you birthday, Daddy!" Cassie answered and skipped around to hug him and the rest of the team.

"We couldn't miss the party, could we?" Sara asked, smiling.

"So you knew about this?" He asked even more surprised.

"No, honey, I just happened to be passing by, you know. That restaurant is on my way to work." Sara smirked.

"Sara actually planned the whole thing." Warrick explained.

"Not alone. I had help." Sara shook her head with a smile. "It was Catherine's job to stop you from going to Cisco. And as I see she did a great job."

"You have no idea how hard it was." Catherine shook her head.

"We were close to slashing his tires." Nick laughed.

"I told you that even cancelling Grissom's flight wouldn't stop him from going." Sara said and caringly stroked his cheek.

"That was you too?" Grissom's raised his eyebrows so high that they were almost touching his hairline. "How?"

"Well," Sara begun and tucked the wisp of hair behind her ear with a smile, "I have a friend working at the airport. I called him, cancelled your reservation a week ago and asked him to call you a few hours before the plane was to take off and tell you that due to the weather there won't be any flights to Cisco. Simple."

"And why all this trouble?"

"Because I thought that you should spend your birthday with friends and I knew you wouldn't simply resign from going to Cisco if even an enormous fight with Ecklie hadn't stop you – oh, yes I know about that too." Sara laughed at Grissom's expression.

"So I have a mole in the lab?" Grissom grinned. "Who's Sara's source of information?" He asked and all the people around the table raised their hands with shrugs. Grissom sighed, shaking his head and smiled.

"Mommy, the gifts!" Cassie ran back to Sara and whispered, pulling Sara's sleeve.

"What gifts?" Sara asked casually, pretending confusion.

"Mommy!" The girl crossed her arms on her chest in a perfect Sara-like gesture that made Sara laugh and Grissom put his "proud-father" smile.

"All right, I have them here." She said and handed the girl two colorfully wrapped packages from a bag. With them in hand Cassie walked to Grissom and placed them proudly on the table.

"This one is from Mommy," she explained pointing at the package in green paper, "and this is from me." She added proudly, touching the pink gift. Without asking for permission she sat on Grissom's lap. "Can I help you open them?" She asked and moved the gift from Sara closer.

"Of course." Grissom answered, hugging her.

"This is going to take a while." Sara giggled quietly and sat on the chair next to Grissom.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Just watch…" she smiled.

All eyes turned to Cassie. The girl was busy untying the ribbon knot. Three times she refused to use scissors. When five minutes later the knot was finally untied she folded the ribbon neatly and turned the gift upside down and began carefully removing bits of scotch tape used to hold the wrapping paper together.

"You must have fun on Christmas morning." Nick smirked.

"You have no idea…" Sara laughed.

Grissom was throwing glances at Sara, smiling with that heart-melting smile Sara loved so much. From time to time he would kiss the top of his daughter head but she seemed too busy unpacking his gift to notice. When the wrapping paper was finally precisely folded next to the ribbon Cassie smiled triumphantly and handed Grissom what appeared to be a picture frame.

"Here you go, Daddy."

Grissom rotate the gift in his hands to view it properly and gasped. He had in his hands a frame with two delicate butterflies. He glanced at Sara noticing a wide smile spreading across her face and took out his glasses, bringing the frame closer to his eyes.

"Sara…" Her name was the only thing he managed to say out loud.

"Dou you like it?" She asked.

"But … these are Glasswing butterflies. Cithaerias Aurora." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"I know…" Sara giggled.

"That's…" he stammered and shook his head, speechless. "Thank you." By the sparks in his eyes Sara knew he loved it.

"Sorry I'm so ignorant," Brass said, "but what's so special about them? Those are just butterflies, right?"

"They're invisible!" Cassie explained shortly.

"Quite right." Grissom laughed. "Firstly, transparency is not something common in nature. You see, the tissue must neither absorb nor scatter light in order to achieve transparency.* Translucent wings help these butterflies to hide from predators making them also extremely hard to catch. And that makes this," he pointed at the frame, "a highly collectible and expensive piece. It's very rare and not easy to buy. How did you get it?" He asked Sara.

"Do I have to remind you that we used to spend half of our so called dates at various symposiums and conferences about insects?" Sara grinned. "Usually a part of them was a visit to insect collector's shops. After about five visits I knew exactly which questions to ask and how to do it to get the most interesting specimens. All I had to do was find a shop near Cisco and use sophisticated, entomologic vocabulary to make an impression on the seller that I'm a professional collector."

"You never cease to impress me, honey." Grissom laughed.

"Now mine, Daddy." Cassie poked Grissom impatiently and the process of unwrapping the second present begun. Grissom was watching it with fascination, glancing at Sara every few moments.

"So how is your software doing?" Catherine asked Sara while Cassie was still busy.

"We're still dealing with some bugs, but in the next two, maybe three months we should have a beta version ready to be sent to volunteering laboratories for practical tests. And if everything goes well we should get accreditation by the end of next year."

"That's great!" Warrick said. "Will you mention somewhere how it helped our lab?"

"It didn't help much. All I found was a bruise in the shape of a hand." Sara shrugged.

"Grissom didn't tell you?" Greg asked, surprised. "Thanks to you, we found a woman connecting all our victims – they were all members of the same fitness club and she was their trainer. Her hand size matched."

"Did she confess?"

"We're working on it." Brass grinned.

"Look Daddy, I made it." Cassie said giving Grissom a scrapbook with hand painted butterflies, flowers, magnifying glasses and what seemed to be a picture of the DNA sequence on its cover.

"Tell Daddy what it is, honey." Sara advised.

"Those are memories."

"What?" Grissom asked, turning to Sara.

"Memories, Daddy, the ones you missed."

"Just open it." Sara said when Grissom continued looking at her questioningly.

On the first page there was a title, clearly written by Cassie: "Daddy's lost memories", followed by two dates. The second he recognized as the present year. He quickly counted the gap between it and the first one, guessing that the first one must have been the year Cassie was born.

Grissom smiled when Cassie turned the page for him and he saw a familiar face smiling at him from the photograph. Sara was leaning on a tree, with some books and notes in her hands.

"I know that photo." He said.

"I was hoping you did, after all, you took it." Sara smiled.

"While we were at the two week seminar on 'The forensic entomology in criminal investigations' and 'The use of beetles in forensic entomology'". He nodded. "So why is it a lost memory?"

"Because there's something about that picture you don't know." Sara grinned. "Cassie, tell Daddy who's in that picture."

"This is Mommy," the girl said, pointing at Sara, "and this is me." She added placing her finger on Sara's abdomen. Grissom's eyes widened. "I'm in Mommy's belly." There was a shuffling as several chairs moved and the whole team gathered behind Grissom to be able to see the picture too.

"You were pregnant?"

"Yeah." Sara nodded, blushing lightly. "Just pregnant actually." She laughed. "You took this photo during our last day there and when later I did some calculations I found out that I probably got pregnant sometime in the previous week."

Grissom smiled and stroked the photo with his finger.

"Oh, so that's why you two had been to so many seminars." Catherine whispered in Grissom ear. "And I thought that it was really about bugs."

"Technically it was about bugs – bees…and birds…." Brass added cheerfully.

Grissom raised his eyebrows and the people behind him choked with laughter.

When he turned the page he saw a black and white ultrasound picture. Sara noticed that Grissom's eyes filled with tears and reached under the table to caress his hand.

"First picture of Cassie?" Greg asked.

"Yes, taken about three months later." Sara explained. "And this is the last one from Vegas. All the rest of the photos were taken in Cisco."

They saw Sara at her new apartment and work. Cassie precisely explained to them what they were looking at. Sara at her desk, Stefano – her supervisor and Cassie's uncle talking to Sara's belly, a few more ultrasounds. In every photo Sara's pregnancy became more obvious. At the one showing Sara rubbing her round belly with her lab coat hardly fitting her Grissom stared till Catherine turned the page for him.

The next page was titled: Cassie's Baby Shower and included four pictures of the party that was organized for Sara at the lab. Sara explained that in the fourth picture they were playing a game of guessing Sara's belly girth, though instead of common string or ribbon, a crime scene tape was used. Others were mostly showing Sara opening gifts or people rubbing her belly.

To their amazement the pictures from the next page showed Sara in the hospital gown, lying in the bed with an IV stuck to her arm. The date under them was exactly the same as under the ones from previous page.

"Don't tell me," Catherine choked, "you went into labor at the Baby Shower."

"I did." Sara answered with a smile. "My daughter wanted to try out all the gifts right away." She laughed and stroked Cassie's cheek. "A month earlier then she should."

"And look Daddy, it's me." Cassie said and turned the page to show Grissom one big picture of Sara, tired after the delivery but smiling at the little bundle in her arms.

"My God." Grissom whispered, covering his mouth with his hand. "That's beautiful." He added and squeezed Sara's hand tenderly, entangling his fingers with hers.

"Look how small I was." Cassie turned another page and placed her hand on top of her baby hand print, which was a part of her birth certificate.

Grissom smiled and a moment later his eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows. Sara noticed that he wasn't looking at Cassie's hand and foot prints anymore but at something else. Under one of the rubrics he saw his name, he was listed as Cassie's father on the birth certificate. It surprised him as he was rather expecting to see 'father unknown' there. He scanned the certificate once more and turned to Sara with the question in his eyes. Though he really wanted to say something he simply couldn't find proper words. Sara smiled at him and nodded. From the look he gave her she knew how he was feeling. There was no need for words. She squeezed his hand under the table.

Next came the early Cassie's pictures, mostly showing her sleeping in her crib or on Sara's chest. The one that made everyone laugh showed Sara nursing Cassie while working on the computer at the lab.

"You took Cassie to work?" Catherine asked, amazed.

"Not exactly," Sara laughed, "in this particular situation I needed to finish something very important and she was hungry." She shrugged with a smile. "Normally Cassie wasn't working with me." She giggled. "San Francisco Research Laboratory is taking part in the 'Protecting Maternity' program which means that every mother has some special privileges. Firstly there is a day care center with qualified nurses and babysitters for children of all ages, and Cassie still goes there sometimes. Moreover every new mom can choose how she wants to work. She can either work in reduced amount of hours or with the same amount of hours as normal workers but with breaks for nursing."

"Why weren't there such programs here when I was raising Lindsay?" Catherine smirked.

Grissom turned the page and chuckled seeing a little older Cassie sitting on the carpet and sucking on a flashlight. A few other photos showed her playing with her food and learning to walk, protectively supported by Sara. There were several photos from different birthdays, Christmases and kindergarten plays. The book ended with photos showing Cassie in a too big for her lab coat collecting fingerprints at Sara's lab.

"Do you like my gift?" Cassie asked throwing her arms around Grissom's neck.

"Very much, Butterfly." He answered, placing a tender kiss on Cassie's head. "And you did all this by yourself?"

"Mommy helped." The girl admitted.

"Only a little." Sara giggled. "Now if you all come back to your seats we could have cake."

"What? You brought a cake?" Greg asked excitedly.

"Not brought, I ordered it and now I'm going to ask a waiter to bring it to the table." Sara answered and got up. "There is no birthday without a cake."

"And Daddy has to make a wish." Cassie added.

A moment later Sara got back with a waiter and big chocolate cake with a beetle shaped candle on top. The waiter placed the cake on the table and lighted the candle, wishing Grissom happy birthday and left.

"Happy birthday, honey." Sara said kissing Gil on the cheek. "Make a wish."

"I think all the wishes I had, already came true." He answered with a grin.

"You have to make a new one, Daddy." Cassie insisted.

Grissom smiled and closed his eyes for a second, focusing on his new wish. "Ok, I think I have one." He said. "Will you help me with the candle?" He asked his daughter.

Cassie nodded and they blew the candle together, allowing Sara cut the cake afterwards.

When the early morning hours passed and the cake was almost finished, the background music changed from quiet and peaceful jazz to louder and more powerful rock songs.

"Mommy, Mommy!" Cassie said suddenly, cleaning her chocolate-covered lips with the back of her hand. "That's the song Lindsay taught me to dance to."

"Really?"

"Yes, Mommy, come dance with me."

"Dance?" Sara asked. "Honey, you know I don't dance."

"But Mommy, please, I can teach you." Cassie said cheerfully.

"Butterfly, I don't…"

"Please, please, please…" Cassie pleaded with a smile, jumping from Gil's lap and hugging Sara.

Sara laughed. "Oh, all right," she sighed, "but only one song. Promise?"

"I promise. Come on Mommy."

"Go and I'll be right there." Sara promised and Cassie kissed her and skipped to the middle of the room.

"That's going to be interesting." Greg grinned. "I don't think I've ever seen you dance."

"Me neither." Sara smirked.

"You mean you've never danced before?" Nick asked surprised.

"Well, no. Not sober that is." She smiled. "And that was in college." She added taking off her jacket.

"Hey I want to hear more about that." Greg giggled.

"You wish!" Sara said, sticking out her tongue.

"Mommy!"

"I'm coming honey." She sighed.

"Break a leg." Warrick said, raising his glass of whiskey and took a sip.

"Thanks…" Sara answered and after a moment of hesitation she took the glass from his hand and drained it quickly. While the others were laughing she joined Cassie on the dance floor.

"You're welcome." Warrick whispered to himself looking at his now empty glass and waved at the waiter to get him a refill.

Grissom smiled to himself, watching how Cassie tried to teach Sara the dance steps. Despite what she thought about herself, Sara was actually pretty good at it. She followed every one of Cassie's moves perfectly, smiling and laughing. His daughter was clapping her hands and jumping merrily.

He looked down on the scrapbook opened on the first picture and traced it with his fingers. This was surely the best birthday he had ever had. He even considered it to be one of the best months of his life. Spending time with Cassie was amazing. And Sara…it was finally so good between them. He just wished the days like this could last forever.

Grissom furrowed his eyebrows trying to make up his mind about things he had been thinking about for few weeks. The present day made it easier to think about them. Easier to make the choice he knew he had to make. But was it the right time? Would he be able to do it now?

When the waiter came with Warrick's whiskey Grissom reached for the glass quickly and gulped it down. Warrick observed him with raised eyebrows and open mouth.

"Thanks." Grissom said, standing up and patted Warrick's shoulder, giving him back the empty glass. It was now or never.

"What the…?" Warrick asked, seeking the answer in the other's eyes.

Catherine was smiling broadly. "Observe and react." She said, grinning.

* * *

"That's very good, Mommy." Cassie complimented when the song ended. "See? You can dance."

"You're a great teacher, Butterfly." Sara smiled.

"May I have the next dance?" Grissom interrupted, offering his hand to Sara.

Sara tucked the wisp of hair behind her ear and nodded silently, placing her hand in his.

"And can I dance with my little Princess?" Brass asked Cassie, smiling.

"But I can't dance like adults do." Cassie complained, shaking her head.

"Well, then I'll teach you." He smiled and took Cassie in his arms, gently putting her feet on his. The girl giggled when they started to dance, slowly moving away from Sara and Grissom.

"I didn't know you danced." Sara whispered, cuddling close to Grissom.

"Only on special occasions." Gil grinned.

"Since when do you treat your birthdays as special occasions?"

"Maybe I'll start from today. Sara, those were the best birthday gifts I have ever had." He admitted and kissed Sara's hand. "And you put so much effort into it."

"You deserved it." Sara smiled. "I know you've been working hard lately to be a good father and you truly are the best. Not once have you complained about long trips to Cisco."

"Actually I wanted to talk about that." Grissom said quietly.

"Talk?" Sara asked, her voice lightly shaking with sudden worry.

"You see, honey, I don't think I can to do it anymore," he said and felt as Sara momentarily stiffened in his arms. "I don't think I would be able to say goodbye anymore, honey."

"What do… what do you mean?" Sara stammered. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought that this might be the end she feared to come.

"That I'm not ready to say goodbye. I don't want this day to end. Sara, the last month was probably one of the best in my life. Those weekends I was able to spent with you just made me realize how empty my life was before." He said brushing a wisp of hair from Sara's face and tenderly stroking her cheek. "I know what I want in my life now."

"And what is it?" Sara asked cautiously, afraid to hear his answer.

"You." Gil answered simply and Sara stiffened again, her eyes focused on Gil. But the worried expression on her face disappeared, replaced by surprise. "Sara, I want to be a part of your life every day and not only for the weekends. And I know that you're going to say that's it's been seven years and a lot have changed but…" he paused, "but I still love you…" he admitted quietly.

"Honey," Grissom continued when Sara was still gazing at him speechless, "I've already done it once and you said 'yes' but this time I'm going to do it properly." To Sara's great surprise he kneeled on one knee in front of her, locking his eyes with hers. "Will you marry me, Sara?" He asked holding her shaking hands in his. He was trembling too.

"You're asking me to be your wife?"

"Yes."

"Griss are you doing this because of Cassie?"

"No, Sara, I'm doing this because of you." He shook his head. "I love Cassie and every moment I spent with her but when I'm back here what I miss more is our evenings. I miss your touch, your scent and… God, how I miss your smile. There's nothing I'm more sure of right now than the fact that I want to be with you."

Sara's eyes filled with tears and she smiled weakly. "But are you ready to…?" She tried to ask but her voice broke down.

"Leave Vegas?" Grissom finished for her. "I believe I am. It has been my home for many year, yes, but I have found a better one with you. I'm not afraid anymore, Sara."

"You know, you're right." Sara nodded. " I am going to say that those seven years has changed many things. But I'm also going to say that one thing has not change at all…and it never will…" she said and kneeled down too, smiling, "I love you too. As I always have. You're still my one and only." She added and caressed Gil's cheek. Warm tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Yes." She whispered.

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll marry you."

"Really?" His smile grew.

"Yeah…" Sara whispered and the next thing she knew Grissom was kissing her tenderly, entangling his fingers in her hair. She kissed him back, deepening the kiss, enjoying the familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering in her belly. Her heart was joyfully beating in her chest.

Before they broke the kiss a loud applause interrupted them.

"Do you have that feeling you're being watched too?" Grissom laughed and wrapped his arms around Sara's waist. He was more than happy and he wasn't going to hide it.

"Yeah, but I don't care." She leaned and kissed him again.

* * *

*information from: scienceray .com/biology/zoology/almost-invisible-the-incredible-glasswing-butterfly/


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:** So here it is. The very last chapter of the story. I still can't believe I actually managed to finish and upload my own story. Usually I'm ending with notebooks full of half-finished stories stashed in my drawers.  
I wouldn't have done this without Anaknusan. For over a year she was patiently correcting my mistakes and giving advices on how to make my story better. I can't say how grateful I am for that. Thank you so much and good luck with all your projects.  
I want to thank my dear readers too. Without all your amazing and inspiring comments I would probably give up after few chapters. You kept me going. Thank you.

**Chapter 15 – Epilogue**

Hug and warm wishes were followed by a great surprise when Grissom announced that he was leaving CSI and moving to San Francisco. Only Catherine, with that all-knowing look and a smile, muttered to him that it took him quite a while to finally find out that it wasn't work that meant the most to him. That from the very beginning it was Sara.

Instead of sleeping at the hotel Sara stayed at Grissom's apartment, spending almost a whole day unsuccessfully trying to persuade Grissom to take a nap – after all he was working nights. He preferred to talk with Sara and play with Cassie. He went to bed only when Cassie did and Sara promised to go sleep too. The next day was pretty similar. In the evening Grissom turned on the TV to watch the baseball match and was immediately joined by Cassie, who curled up in his lap. Gil patiently explained to her the basic rules and answered every one of her curious questions. That perfect scene kept Sara smiling all the time.

"Honey, I think is time for your bath." Sara interrupted them after Cassie clapped her hands joyfully watching one of the players score a home run. The clock on the wall just struck nine.

"Really?" Grissom asked, smiling widely. "I thought I still had an hour till my bed time." He grinned.

Sara chuckled. "I meant my little honey." She said and leaned to whisper in Grissom ear. "Maybe later." She said and kissed him teasingly, causing him to raise his eyebrows.

"Do I have to go, Mommy?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, Butterfly, we need to leave early tomorrow and you need to be well rested." Sara explained.

"Can we take Daddy home this time?"

"I'm afraid I have to stay here." Grissom answered. "But just for a little while."

"Very little?" The girl asked hopefully.

"For a week, maybe two."

"And then you will come?"

"Yes I will." Grissom promised, smiling. Cassie hugged him with a cheerful 'yay'. Sara laughed. If it hadn't been inappropriate for her age she would react in the same way as Cassie just did. "And Mommy was right, Butterfly, it's bath-time." Grissom added kissing the little girl on his lap.

"All right." Cassie said reluctantly but she jumped from Grissom's knees and followed Sara to the bathroom.

* * *

"One child in bed, I can take care of another." Sara grinned, entering the bedroom and closing the door behind her. Grissom was sitting on the bed with his birthday scrapbook in his hands. He was tracing one of the photographs with his fingers, barely noticing Sara's entry. She sighed, shaking her head with a smile. She walked to her side of the bed and cuddled next to Grissom, resting her head on his shoulder. "You've been staring at that book for two days."

Finally noticing he wasn't alone Grissom smiled and kissed the top of Sara's head. She turned to him and smiling, playfully kissed him with a passion that surprised him.

"What was that for?" Grissom asked, a bit breathless after the kiss.

"Nothing." She laughed. "Just because I can."

"Sara, you always could…"

"But now it's official." Sara grinned and waved her hand before his eyes. The white diamond in her golden ring sparkled in the light. Grissom bought it the day after he proposed to her, even though she told him she didn't need any visible sign of their status as a couple. He insisted that everything needed to be right this time and spent a few hours searching for the perfect ring, finally choosing a delicate golden classic engagement ring with a band neatly cupping the single, round cut diamond. Grissom ordered an inscription on the inside: _Since I met you _and a date of their first meeting at the forensic academy conference. It was beautiful and Sara loved it from the moment Gil slide it on her finger.

Grissom laughed and reached for Sara's hand, kissing the place where the engagement ring was.

"You know," he said, focusing back on the scrapbook, "I'm a scientist and I can name every process that your body went through while you were pregnant and still when I look on those pictures, everything seems so…" he paused and shrugged.

"Unbelievable?" Sara suggested. "Miraculous?"

"Yeah." Grissom nodded. "I wish I knew how it felt…"

"How it felt?" Sara chuckled. "You do remember how making the child felt, I hope."

Grissom arched his eyebrows and grinned. "Vividly." He kissed Sara's forehead. "I don't know, however, how being pregnant feels."

"I'm afraid I'm not the appropriate person to tell you this." Sara whispered.

"Why? You were pregnant."

"I was also on the edge of depression then, Gil." Sara admitted quietly. "It…well…it just wasn't an easy stage for me. Everything was so…annoying."

"From what I know, carrying a new life is never easy." Grissom whispered and kissed her lovingly, embracing her. "I still want to know. I want to hear about everything, even about the annoying things, honey." He said, smiling tenderly.

"You do realize that my opinion about pregnancy will be biased? Other mothers…"

"I'm not interested in other mothers' views." Grissom cut in. "I care about how _you_ felt."

Sara sighed. "Mostly tired." She chuckled. "Never before in my whole life had I slept longer then for 6 hours and when I was pregnant I could sleep for 10 and more. My hormones were off and so were my senses. It would be pretty useful to have that heightened sensitivity to aromas if not the fact that almost every scent was making me sick. Up to the fourth month I could hardly eat anything or even pass by a restaurant."

Grissom gazed at her concerned and stroked her hair.

"I was told it's normal." Sara smiled at him. "For some women at least. And it eventually passed. The second trimester was actually pretty good. The only thing that really annoyed me was that I was outgrowing my clothes with an unbelievable speed. My belly started to grow quite late but it quickly caught up." Sara laughed. "You saw the pictures. You know I got really huge." She grimaced. "And sometime around 20 weeks I began to feel Cassie's movements."

"How was it?" Grissom asked, his eyes shining.

"First time I understood what I was feeling I freaked out." Sara admitted. "It felt weird to really feel that there was a little human growing inside me. So…different and somehow…impossible. It's really hard to explain. At the very beginning it was something between the stomach rumbling and butterflies fluttering feeling. My doctor realized sooner than I what I was feeling but with time I became more aware of Cassie's movements. Others began to feel her too or even see my belly move. Stefano told me it reminded him of the famous alien chest-bursting scene."

Grissom chuckled.

"Oh, don't laugh, it really looked as if she was going to come out of me any minute." Sara grinned.

"Wish I could have seen this." Grissom smiled.

"I know…" Sara sighed and kissed his palm. "So, a month before Cassie was due to be born I went into labor. I already mentioned it happened at Cassie's shower party." Sara reminded. "My waters broke and Stefano drove me to hospital. It wasn't easy. After about ten hours I was too exhausted to push, both mine and Cassie's blood pressures begun to drop rapidly." Sara swallowed down the heavy gulp that appeared in her throat at the memories. She didn't want to fully admit this to Grissom but the situation had been extremely dangerous. Doctors had to fight for both their lives. She sighed and continued quietly. "My doctor decided to do an emergency C-section." She explained and moved up the hem of her shirt to reveal a thin, white scar low on her belly.

Grissom put the scrapbook on the night table and rested his hand on Sara's flat belly, gently tracing the mark with his fingertips.

"I hate it…" Sara complained quietly and tried to cover herself but Grissom firmly stopped her.

"I don't…" he shook his head and carefully changed their position to be able to tenderly kiss the place where the scar was. "Because of this my daughter came to this world safely…" he whispered and kissed it again. "From what you were saying it probably saved your life too and thanks to that I can now lay here next to you." He moved up and looked into Sara's eyes, smiling tenderly. "I should have realized that a long time ago…I should have told you a long time ago: I don't know what I would do without you. I love you." He whispered and kissed her passionately.

Sara wrapped her arms around Gil's neck and brushed her fingers through his graying hair, deepening the kiss.

"And I love you." She breathed out breaking the kiss for a moment and resting her forehead against his. When their lips met again she bit his lower lip playfully, admitting the entrance inside. She slowly moved her hand down to the collar of Grissom's shirt and unbuttoning the first three buttons she slide her hand inside, resting her palm on his warm chest. Surprised, Gil broke the kiss and looked at her.

"Are you planning something?" He asked arching his eyebrow.

"Well," Sara smiled teasingly, "since you were so interested in the whole pregnancy thing, I thought we may as well have some practical lessons."

"Oh, really…" He whispered quietly, leaning down to place butterfly kisses on Sara's collarbone. "And that lesson is about?"

"That is lesson one: how to make a baby." Sara answered huskily, feeling him smile against her skin.

"Didn't we have that one already?"

"It's a revision." She explained, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. Grissom looked at her once more, grinning and squinting his eyes before he was pulled in for another passionate kiss.

THE END

**A/N:** This chapter was written in a way leading to a sequel. I have a whole story planned in my mind :P Not sure I have a time and strength to write it though. Maybe someday…sometime…


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